How the top Iowa, Iowa State football recruits did Thursday at state track

Year in and year out, the best of the best athletes in Iowa congregate for the state track meet at Drake Stadium.

So, surprise: There’s a whole lot of football talent competing this weekend.

Here’s how the state’s best college football prospects performed Thursday at state track.

Logan Jones, 2020, DL,Council Bluffs Lewis Central: Jones, a three-star athlete who holds offers from Iowa, Iowa State and Minnesota, placed fourth in the Class 4A discus with a throw of 172 feet. He recorded 27.5 tackles, 13 solo tackles for loss and five solo sacks last season. Lewis Central will be a title contender in the realigned Class 3A next season. Jones (6-foot-3, 240 pounds) is one of the state’s most promising 2020 prospects.

Josh Volk, 2020, OL, Cedar Rapids Xavier: Another of the more up-and-coming football prospects in the state, Volk placed 14th in the 3A discus with a throw of 147 feet, 10 inches. A three-star prospect who checks in at 6-4 and 299, Volk has an offer from Iowa State, as well as interest from Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan State, which was expected at Drake Stadium on Thursday to watch Volk. He’ll play a big role for the defending champion Saints next year.

Mosai Newsom, 2019, DE, Waverly-Shell Rock: Newsom (6-3, 255), who holds offers from Iowa, Nebraska, Northwestern and Minnesota plus interest from Stanford, Vanderbilt and Michigan State, placed seventh in the 3A discus with a throw of 159. Michigan State was expected at Drake Stadium on Thursday to watch Newsom. He is the top remaining in-state 2019 prospect.

Darien Porter, 2019, WR, Bettendorf: A three-star Iowa State recruit, Porter finished second in the 4A 400-meter dash with a time of 47.99 seconds. The 6-4, 165-pound athlete logged 10 catches for 251 yards and four touchdowns last year. He’s also one of the favorites in the 200-meter. 

Ezra Miller, 2019, OL, Ridge View: A four-star Iowa recruit, Miller placed 13th in the Class 1A shot put with a throw of 46-7 1/4 — a personal best. Miller (6-6, 305) is Iowa’s top-ranked 2019 pledge, according to the 247Sports Composite. 

Will Clapper, 2019, DL, Baxter: Clapper (6-4, 275), who holds an offer from South Dakota State plus interest from Iowa and Iowa State, placed second in the 1A shot put with a throw of 52 feet. 

Kendell Jackson, 2018, LB, Des Moines Roosevelt: Jackson, a preferred walk-on recruit for Iowa State, placed 11th in the 4A discus with a throw of 154-3. Jackson (6-1, 225) recorded 75.5 tackles, six solo tackles for loss and one solo sack last season.

Carter Bell, 2019, ATH, Bettendorf: Bell, who is drawing interest from Iowa, Iowa State, South Dakota and South Dakota State, placed ninth in the Class 4A high jump. He cleared 6 feet, 3 inches — a season-best by one inch. As a quarterback for the Bulldogs, Bell (5-10, 175) amassed 2,089 combined rushing/passing yards and 31 touchdowns en route to a state semifinal berth. He’s a big reason why Bettendorf is one of the favorites to come out of eastern Iowa next season.

Jackson Leistikow, 2019, OL, Cedar Falls: Leistikow (6-3, 275), who’s fielding interest from Iowa, Iowa State, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota State, placed 12th in the 4A discus with a throw of 151-1. He will lead a formidable trench unit next year for Cedar Falls, which joins Bettendorf, Cedar Rapids Prairie and Iowa City West as the early favorites to represent eastern Iowa at the UNI Dome.

Miles Rupiper, 2018, DB/ATH, Kuemper Catholic: Rupiper, a preferred walk-on defensive back recruit for Iowa State, won the Class 2A long jump with a jump of 22-1. The 6-2, 170-pound athlete compiled 950 rushing yards last season.

Blair Brooks, 2018, WR, Marion: Brooks, a preferred walk-on receiver recruit for Iowa, earned second in the 3A high jump by clearing 6-5. The 6-3, 190-pound athlete logged 42 catches for 592 yards and nine touchdowns last season. Joining an Iowa program that tries to find diamond-in-the-rough receivers, Brooks could compete for some playing time within the next couple years.

Logan Klemp, 2018, LB, South Hamilton: A three-star Iowa signee, Klemp placed 10th in the 2A shot put with a throw of 50-6. Klemp (6-3, 200) racked up 82.5 tackles, 11 solo tackles for loss, six solo sacks and 1,260 rushing yards last season.

Noah Fenske, 2019, OL, New Hampton: A three-star Iowa recruit, Fenske placed third in the 2A shot put with a throw of 55-8 3/4 — a personal best. Fenske (6-5, 275) returns to lead a New Hampton roster that went 8-3 and fell one game short of the UNI-Dome last season.

Tyler Endres, 2019, OL, Norwalk: A four-star Iowa recruit, Endres placed sixth in the 3A discus with a throw of 160-2. At 6-6 and 285, Endres will lead a Warriors team that went 6-3 last year, just missing the playoffs.

Coal Flansburg, 2019, LB, Solon: A three-star Iowa State recruit, Flansburg (6-1, 235) placed fourth in the 3A discus with a throw of 162-11. Flansburg piled up 42 tackles, five solo tackles for loss and two solo sacks last year. His best-in-the-state Spartans’ defense doesn’t show signs of slowing down next year.

Tyler Linderbaum, 2018, DT/C, Solon: A four-star Iowa recruit, Linderbaum (6-2, 255) placed third in the 3A discus with a throw of 166-2. Linderbaum recorded 34.5 tackles, three solo tackles for loss and a sack through double- and triple-teams last season. He added four fumble recoveries and a pick-six, too. Recruited as a defensive tackle, Linderbaum could also project at center for the Hawkeyes.

Lucas Empen, 2018, TE, Northeast Goose Lake: A preferred walk-on recruit for Iowa, Empen (6-7, 230) placed 11th in the 2A shot put with a throw of 50-2 1/2. Empen, who also played on the line for Northeast Goose Lake, logged 51 catches for 598 yards and six touchdowns last season.

Matthew Bain covers college football and basketball recruiting for the Des Moines Register. He also helps out with Iowa and Iowa State football and basketball coverage for HawkCentral and Cyclone Insider. Contact him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @MatthewBain_.