Iowa State Locks in Official Visit for Class of 2027 Lineman

A versatile Class of 2027 lineman has locked in an official visit date with the Iowa State Cyclones.

Oct 30, 2021; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; An Iowa State Cyclones helmet on the bench during the third quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

There has been a lot of focus recently on the Iowa State Cyclones men’s and women’s basketball teams, both of which qualified for their respective NCAA tournaments.

While they will assuredly be receiving support from the student body and other athletics teams, the football team has remained hard at work. Looking to make up for lost time when it comes to recruiting for the Class of 2027, head coach Jimmy Rogers and his staff are working around the clock to secure official visit dates for prospects.

The most recent player to secure a time to head to Ames is versatile lineman Zay’Vion Smith. An offensive tackle and EDGE defender for Youngstown (OH) Warren G. Harding High School, he is locked in for June 12 as an official visit date to campus.

“[I’m looking for] the whole experience,” Smith said, via Allen Trieu of Rivals (subscription required). “I’d love to see how the coaches build relationships with the players, because that’s super important to me. I could really see myself playing there and experiencing a whole new place with its unique culture.”

Iowa State locks in date for visit with Zay'Vion Smith

Iowa State defensive line coach Jalon Bibbs talks to media during the football defensive coaches media opportunity at the university’s Stark Performance Center on Feb. 13, 2026, in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Leading the recruitment for him is defensive line coach Jalon Bibbs, who provides insight into which side of the ball the Cyclones’ coaching staff believes the Warren, Ohio, product is best suited to play at the next level.

Listed at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, he is a three-star prospect. Thus far, he has received five offers in total. The only other Power Four scholarship has come from Iowa State’s Big 12 rivals, the Cincinnati Bearcats.

The Youngstown State Penguins, Eastern Michigan Eagles and Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders are the other programs that have extended him an offer to this point.

While the Cyclones are viewing Smith as a defensive line prospect, the Bearcats believe his future lies in the trenches on the offensive side of the ball. Their offensive line coach, Nic Cardwell, is leading his recruitment for Cincinnati.

Cyclones will be competing with Bearcats for Smith's commitment

Oct 30, 2021; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats helmets on the ground during the game against Tulane Green Wave during the second half at Yulman Stadium. | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

“Same with Cincinnati,” he said. “I feel that I’m building a good relationship with the o-line coach and that’s another place that I could see myself playing with the coaching staff, and some of the players make me feel welcomed.”

It will be interesting to see what Rogers, Bibbs and Iowa State can do to differentiate themselves from the pack during his recruitment. Hopefully, he prefers to play on the defensive side of the ball because that would give them a leg up on the competition right out of the gate.

There is likely some catching up to be done, with the Bearcats hosting him for a visit last November and making him an offer at that time.