Although the Cyclones didn't end up landing him in the 2022 class, they have won out in the end by landing UCF transfer Xavier Townsend out of the transfer portal.

The Sunshine State recruit had committed to Iowa State in the weeks leading up to his senior season only to flip to the Knights in the days leading up to the December signing period.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound back heads to Ames in 2025 with two seasons of eligibility remaining, filling a couple of voids left by the graduation of Jaylin Noel.

He caught 66 passes for 521 yards and four touchdowns during his time in Orlando. Townsend also averaged 9.6 yards on 32 career rushing attempts.

The Florida native also profiles to fill the void left by Noel as a big-play special teams return man. He averaged 24.1 yards on 16 career kickoff returns, while averaging 10 on 44 punt returns.

Townsend redshirted the 2024 campaign after playing in four games. He was originally a three-star prospect with a 5.6 Rivals Rating and a top-100 recruit in the state coming out of Tampa (Fla.) Berkeley Prep.