In-state coup: OL Brant chooses Cyclones

Intent on having another solid year recruiting within the state's borders, ISU has received a commitment from Dubuque Wahlert offensive tackle Aaron Brant, a player who is being considered Iowa's top prep for the upcoming season.

The 6-foot-7, 290-pounder committed to Iowa State after an unofficial visit to campus and meeting with Head Coach Dan McCarney on Monday morning.

ISU, which became the first program to offer Brant a scholarship last summer, won out over Iowa, Stanford, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Kansas State and many other programs.

"He was sold on what the Cyclones have done," said Wahlert Head Coach Jim Killoran. "But the key for Aaron was when he went out to camp. The one thing that he said when he came back was that he couldn't believe that Coach Mac was down getting into a stance and helping them. He was hands on. He said that's what all of the coaches did. That's something that had an impact on him.

"He went to Iowa and visited a couple times, but every time he came back he said it was still Iowa State. He went to the Wisconsin camp last year and came back and said the same thing. He's been around and looked at other programs. I think he took the program that's the best for him."

Brant is the second Iowa prep to pledge to the Cyclones, joining Waterloo East wide receiver/defensive back Milan Moses as members of the Class of 2003.

Although he has been a dominant player for Wahlert on both sides of the ball, Brant is being projected as an offensive tackle at ISU. He has two years of starting experience at tackle and one full season of action on defense.

"When I talked to Coach McCarney and Coach (Mike) Woodley, the offensive and defensive guys were fighting over him," Killoran said. "The offensive and defensive line coaches wanted him. At least in my mind right now, Aaron is a better offensive player than he is a defensive player. But he has spent more time (on offense), too. We just used him last year on defense for the first time. He's probably a little ahead there. He's an excellent run blocker.

"There's a mentality that offensive and defensive linemen have, and I think that his mentality is more towards the offensive line. He's more analytical. He analyzes what's happening and he'll come off the field and tell you where people are coming from. He's really good that way and has a good knowledge of football."

Brant, along with 6-foot-3, 280-pound guard Matt Selle, played a huge part in Wahlert's offense leading the Mississippi Valley Conference in offense last season. For the first time since joining the conference 18 years ago, the Iowa Class 4A program ranked first in the conference after racking up more than 3,700 total yards.

"We have two juniors, Aaron and Matt, that we brought up as sophomores," Killoran said. "They play the strong-side of our line. When we need a yard or two, we go there. When you have a successful offensive unit, you have it because your linemen do the job and the backs can run. Whenever we needed yardage, we ran behind Aaron and Matt. They just cleaned house on their side of the line."

Wahlert finished with a 5-4 overall mark last fall while competing in what is arguably the toughest conference or district in the state of Iowa. Brant is one of 18 starters returning for the 2002 season, making Wahlert a state-playoff hopeful.

Killoran said that both Brant and Selle plan on attending ISU's summer camp this year. The Cyclones are also recruiting Selle, but have yet to offer him a scholarship.

Brant plans on pursuing a major in science and engineering, making the ISU a perfect fit on and off the football field, said Killoran.

"Aaron is the type of individual that will excel at anything he does," Killoran said. "He's one of those 'tell me what to do and I'll do it to get better' type of kids. You see that in the academic and athletic areas. He's a tremendously coachable kid that will fit into Coach McCarney's program really well."

Very well-rounded as an athlete, Brant has also competed in basketball and track. He played a role on Wahlert's state-qualifying basketball team last season, and placed third in the shot put at last summer's state track meet.

Participating in other sports, particularly basketball, has enabled him to improve in some important areas relevant to football.

"He was there primarily to rebound and work on his feet," Killoran said, referring to Brant's season of playing basketball. "That's something that's really good, when a kid can go out in a different sport and work on things that are important to him. Aaron's realistic. He knows that he's never going to be a basketball player, but knew that it could help him. It improved his feet a great deal."