Iowa State Football Chasing Purdue in Pursuit of 4-Star EDGE

A four-star EDGE defender is set to visit the Iowa State Cyclones, who are looking to chase down the Purdue Boilermakers.

Oct 22, 2022; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; A Purdue Boilermakers helmet sits on the sidelines during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

In his first year at the helm of the Iowa State Cyclones football program, head coach Jimmy Rogers knew there would be a lot of work to do with the roster.

With more than 50 players hitting the transfer portal and their Class of 2026 going down to as few as six holdovers, a lot of attention was given to the team for this upcoming fall. But once that was squared away, focus could turn to high school recruiting.

Rogers has gotten off to a strong start with the Class of 2027. They are currently ranked No. 38 in the country with five commits, and are looking to add another impact player to the mix.

As shared by Greg Smith of Rivals (subscription required), the Cyclones are one of four teams to have locked in an official visit date with EDGE Chris Wilson. His stock has been on the rise, ranking No. 152 in the updated Rivals300.

Iowa State will get first visit with Chris Wilson

Sep 7, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; An Iowa State Cyclones helmet sits on the sidelines before the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Kinnick Stadium. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

However, right now, it is the Purdue Boilermakers who seemingly have the edge in his recruitment. They made a great impression on him during his visit to West Lafayette this spring.

“How much love they’ve shown and how consistent they’ve been with me,” Wilson said, via Steve Wiltfong of Rivals (subscription required). “The energy, the culture, and the way they make you feel wanted definitely means something.”

While the Big Ten program is currently “setting the pace” for Wilson, this race is still a wide-open one. He has spoken very highly of all the teams he has visited with thus far, setting the stage for an important few weeks.

And things could certainly change since Iowa State is the first program he will be taking an official visit with.

4-star EDGE Chris Wilson has four official visits set, with one team setting the pace in his recruitment, @GregSmithRivals reports 👀

“The energy, the culture, and the way they make you feel wanted definitely means something.”

Read: https://t.co/yDie8zdceO pic.twitter.com/6dMoBQIkfD

— Rivals (@Rivals) April 21, 2026

Wilson will be in Ames on May 29 for the first of four official visits that he has set up currently. On June 5, he will be visiting one of the Cyclones’ Big 12 rivals, the Cincinnati Bearcats.

After that, another visit to Purdue is set for June 12. His last official visit, for now, is set with the Auburn Tigers for the following week on June 19.

More visits could certainly be scheduled in the future for the Yorktown High School product in Muncie, Indiana. He has already received 15 scholarship offers, all of which are from Power Four programs except for one from the Eastern Kentucky Colonels.

Right now, Rivals Predictions actually has Cincinnati as the favorite for Wilson at 21.6%. But their edge isn’t very big with the Boilermakers at 18.9%, the Missouri Tigers at 16.2% and Iowa State at 13.5%.