Nagel talks Iowa State commitment

The Cyclones’ getting a commitment from a Class of 2017 tight end recruit from northeast Iowa has been nearly two years in the making, and finally culminated with the prospect’s decision this past Friday.

Manchester West Delaware two-star recruit John Nagel, who had been committed to Northern Iowa since the summer, picked up an offer from Iowa State one week ago and it didn’t take long for him to change his mind.

“I’ve been waiting for that offer from Iowa State,” said Nagel. “They’ve been recruiting me ever since my sophomore year. I love the town of Ames. It was one of those things that I was waiting for it when it happened and knew it was right. I took a few days to talk it over with all my family and coaches and made my decision.”

At the time of his original commitment to the Panthers, the 6-foot-6, 230-pound Nagel had lower-level FBS offers from the likes of Army, Eastern Illinois and Northern Illinois. Illinois State had also offered.

Nagel announced his decision via social media a short time after catching I-State head coach Matt Campbell as he packed for the team’s road trip to Fort Worth, Texas.

“They were getting ready to head to TCU,” he said. “It was early in the morning and they were getting all their stuff ready. Coach Campbell was very happy when I called him with my commitment. After that, I got a bunch of texts from other coaches congratulating me.”

In addition to taking several unofficial visits in the past few years, Nagel was on campus for the Cyclones’ season opener against UNI. He’s undecided on when he’ll take his official visit to Ames.