Iowa State made a strong early move with one of the first quarterbacks in the Class of 2028 it has targeted, handing Missouri prospect Sean Nevills his first Power Four offer during a visit to Ames in Week 1.
The Rock Bridge Bruins standout was on campus for Iowa State’s 38-10 win over Southeast Missouri State, and the trip clearly left an impression. It was only his second offer overall, with the first coming from Missouri State, but this one carried extra weight.
“It was huge,” said the versatile prospect, via Bill Seals of Cyclone Report (subscription required). “That was my first one of the season, so I’m nervous, kind of not knowing what to expect, but they probably made that the best they could have made it for me in my first experience.
“The staff was welcoming, everything, like everybody knew my name already, so I didn’t introduce myself much. The coaches were dead set on getting me to be a part of their class, which is great.
I felt that throughout the way. You could tell that they brought me there to recruit me and to give me that offer.”
Nevills has already shown plenty as a young quarterback. As a sophomore, he started at the varsity level and put up 2,197 passing yards with 21 touchdowns. He also ran for 90 yards and two scores in Rock Bridge’s opening night, finishing with 301 yards and one touchdown through the air.
Iowa State’s pitch may not stop at quarterback, though. Nevills said offensive coordinator Tyler Roehl was straightforward with him about how the staff sees him.
“He brought me over to talk to him,” Nevills said of his discussion with offensive coordinator Tyler Roehl. “The best thing you can give an athlete is honesty, and he brought me up and was honest. He said, ‘we don’t know what we want you to play; we just know that we want you’.”
For Jimmy Rogers, landing that kind of early traction matters. The new Iowa State head coach was late getting started with the Class of 2026 after arriving in December to replace Matt Campbell, though he did bring some commits with him from Washington State after they had already been tied to him and his staff. The Cyclones are in better shape with the Class of 2027, where they’re currently inside the top 50, and now they’re taking an early swing at the quarterback position for 2028.
Nevills looks like the kind of prospect who could keep rising, and Iowa State appears to have made a very good first impression.
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