Clifford expecting ISU school visit

Iowa State offensive coordinator Mark Mangino will be in school on Wednesday evaluating one of the highest interior linemen on the Cyclones' wish list for the 2015 class.

Hoboken (N.J.) guard/center prospect Daniel Clifford picked up an offer from I-State in mid-March and considers the program a favorite of his.

"Coach Mangino from Iowa State is coming [to my high school]," said Clifford, who also has offers from Buffalo, UConn and East Carolina.

"He's been sending me a lot of letters and cards, and getting in touch with me when he can. He's talked a lot about the program and that they'd really like me to come down. I like Iowa State a lot. I knew about Coach Mangino from the success he had at Kansas. I need to get out there to see the campus. I like how beautiful the school looks from pictures I've seen."

The 6-foot-3, 310-pound rising senior said he is viewed as a perfect fit for the system Mangino wants to employ in Ames.

"They like big, nasty linemen who can get it done, and they think I fill that hole," Clifford said. "I think I could fit perfectly in their blocking schemes, because we run a lot of the same things here."

Clifford said he is on the verge of adding more offers this summer from a trio of schools, but will likely need to take unofficial visits first.

"Wake Forest, Temple and UMass are going to offer me," he said. "They just want me to go down there, so the coaches can talk to me and give it to me in person."

At this point, Clifford said he has a top three.

"I really like Iowa State, UConn and Buffalo right now and those are my favorites right now," he said. "I don't know much about East Carolina, so I'm doing some research on them. I'd like to make a decision by the end of my senior year. I'll be taking official visits to my favorites and make a decision from there."