Iowa

Iowa State Cyclones Commit Could Potentially Flip To Michigan State

Published

8 months ago

June 1, 2025

Iowa State Cyclones Commit Could Potentially Flip To Michigan State

The Iowa State Cyclones could be on the losing side of a potential commitment flip.

Earlier this year, Cyclones’ head coach Matt Campbell made a splash in the Ohio pipeline with 2026 three-star safety Brayden Thomas. While Iowa State was originally the only power four team in the mix for the young talent, this quickly changed when the Michigan State Spartans decided to offer Thomas on May 14.

Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith’s late run at the St. Edwards High School defender has unfortunately begun to work, as Thomas shared part of his official visit this past weekend on social media.

In addition to his recent visit to East Lansing, Thomas told Spartans Illustrated that his trip “turned the tables” and put Michigan State “high on his list”.

“When I get back from Iowa State [next weekend], I’m going to make my decision,” said Thomas. “I’m not committed to Michigan State, but I will say this weekend definitely turned the tables in a good way and put them high on my list.”

Losing out on Thomas would be a significant blow to Campbell’s 2026 recruiting class, especially if four-star quarterback Jett Thomalla flips his commitment to Alabama. Thomas, along with three-star Tyrell Chatman are the lone safeties in the upcoming class, and a flip would put the Cyclones at 12 commits in the 2026 class.

MORE: Iowa State Alum Tyrese Haliburton Fires Shot at Ben Stiller

MORE: Myles Turner Defends Former Iowa State Star Tyrese Haliburton After Leading Pacers to NBA Finals

MORE: Iowa State Transfer Guard Shows She’s Locked In for Breakout Season

MORE: Iowa State Cyclones Star Could be the Next Christian McCaffrey

MORE: New York Jets Predicted to Trade Former Iowa State Cyclones Star

Source link

Iowa

‘This is the grassroots.’ Iowans gather to caucus ahead of midterms

Published

2 hours ago

February 3, 2026

Press Room

‘This is the grassroots.’ Iowans gather to caucus ahead of midterms

U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra rallied Republicans at a West Des Moines caucus site Monday, Feb. 2, as both parties work to get organized ahead of a competitive midterm election year.

His stop at the Stilwell Junior High caucus site was Feenstra’s first of several planned visits across Polk and Dallas counties, and he touted his work in the state Legislature and in Congress as he appealed to some of his party’s most active members.

“This last year has just been amazing working with President Trump and making sure that we take America first,” he told the group. “I was on Air Force One last week. We were talking about this — making sure that we continue lowering taxes, to make sure that we lower prices at the gas pump and our groceries and all this other stuff.”

Republicans and Democrats held their Iowa Caucuses Feb. 2 at locations across the state.

For Feenstra and other candidates facing a June 2 primary election, this year’s caucuses presented a chance to elevate their name recognition among key party activists, gather signatures to get on the ballot and recruit supporters as they look to break away from the pack.

Especially in years when there is no presidential nomination, the caucuses are about getting the parties organized, submitting planks to be included in their platforms, persuading people to sign up as delegates and getting them to commit to being involved with their local party apparatus.

Feenstra is one of five candidates running for the Republican Party’s gubernatorial nomination. The others include state Rep. Eddie Andrews, businessman Zach Lahn, former state Rep. Brad Sherman and former Department of Administrative Services director Adam Steen.

At Stilwell Junior High, each of the remaining four gubernatorial candidates had a supporter designated to speak on their behalf.

Representatives also spoke in favor of Republican U.S. Reps. Zach Nunn, who is seeking reelection to the 3^rd District, and Ashley Hinson, who is running to replace Joni Ernst in the U.S. Senate.

For candidates, Iowa Caucuses are a chance to engage with the grassroots

Feenstra told reporters that he was excited to engage with the grassroots of his party.

“This is the time where the Republican Party gets together, talks about policy, and talks about how we’re going to make sure that we keep this state red, making sure that we don’t get extreme liberals running this great state,” he said. “So that’s what’s happening today, and I’m so excited. This is the grassroots. These are the people that door knock. They put out the signs and everything like that. So it’s fun to be a part of it.”

Laura Ridgway, a 65-year-old West Des Moines resident who caucused Monday, said she feels a responsibility to come.

“How can you complain about your government if you’re not willing to participate and create change or at least listen?” she said.

She said she likes what she knows about Feenstra, but she’s also interested in Steen. She knows Steen has been endorsed by conservative media personality Steve Deace and respects his recommendation.

Mostly, she said, she wants a governor who can keep the state “in line with Christian values.”

Dale Helling spoke in favor of Steen at the Stilwell caucus site Monday after meeting him at a recent fundraiser and coming away “super impressed.”

He likes that Steen has experience in both the private and government sectors, and he thinks Steen would stack up against Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand “very well” in a potential debate.

“I think he’s our best candidate, quite honestly,” Helling said.

He said he’ll vote for whoever ends up winning the primary, but now he’s disappointed that Feenstra isn’t engaging more with the GOP primary field.

“I think Randy might be a little awkward at times,” Helling said. “And quite honestly, I’m not happy — I can see why he’s doing it — but he’s ducking everybody right now. He’s refusing to debate. He probably has the lead right now because of name recognition, and he has more money. So he’s choosing really not to engage. And I don’t like that. You should be out there debating with everybody else, and he’s not doing it.”

Feenstra has increasingly come under fire from party activists for opting out of forums and events that feature his primary opponents, including a Jan. 27 debate in Des Moines.

That debate was the same day Trump visited Iowa, and Feenstra said he was flying to and from Des Moines on Air Force One with Trump and couldn’t attend the event.

Feenstra told reporters he asked Trump for his endorsement on that flight, and he hopes to earn the president’s support this primary cycle. So far, the president has not waded into Iowa’s gubernatorial race, although he has made endorsements in three of the state’s four congressional districts.

Some underdog candidates organize with an eye to possible contested convention

In Iowa, if a candidate in a primary race can’t clear 35% of the vote, the nominee is selected by a group of delegates at the party’s convention.

The selection of those delegates begins on caucus night, with volunteers offering to serve first at the county level, then the district and ultimately the state level.

It’s a possibility for which some groups and campaigns were actively preparing as they went into caucus night.

Chuck Hurley, vice president of Christian conservative organization The Family Leader, has encouraged his group’s supporters to attend their caucuses by reminding them in a series of emails that they could play an outsized role in selecting the party’s nominee for governor if a convention becomes a reality.

“For me, it’s just simple math,” he told the Des Moines Register. “If you have four, five, you know, six candidates in a race, you start dividing up the vote, because they each have people that support them.”

The Steen campaign said they were also preparing for the possibility by making connections with key activists and encouraging them to caucus and become delegates.

“We want to be very active at caucus, because we know if this thing does go to convention, we want people represented at state convention who will support Adam Steen,” said Rob Peters, Steen’s campaign manager.

The selection of a nominee at convention is relatively rare, but the process is far different than an open election and can give way to unpredictable results based on the preferences of those delegates who happen to be serving.

In 2014, David Young won the Republican nomination in the 3^rd District congressional race after finishing in fifth place in the primary election and after five rounds of voting at the convention. He later went on to win the general election.

Currently, Feenstra is viewed as the race’s frontrunner. He is a sitting congressman with a large war chest, high name recognition among potential voters and a network of high-profile supporters.

It would be a significant upset if he were unable to hit the 35% benchmark. But so far, Feenstra has been unable to clear the primary field.

Billy Fuerst, a spokesperson for Feenstra, said the campaign is not worried about the possibility of a contested convention.

He noted the campaign’s most recent fundraising report, which showed Feenstra easily leading the GOP field with $4.3 million in fundraising — more than the rest of the Republican field combined.

“We have the resources to win. We have the message to win. And our polling also confirms Congressman Feenstra is the commanding frontrunner in this primary election,” Fuerst said. “And again, he will be nominated in June to be the Republican nominee for governor of Iowa, and he will defeat extreme liberal Rob Sand with his common-sense conservative message.

Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register. She writes about campaigns, elections and the Iowa Caucuses. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on X at @brianneDMR.

Source link

Iowa

Two New No. 1s Emerge In Official Iowa Boys High School Basketball Rankings

Published

14 hours ago

February 2, 2026

Press Room

Two New No. 1s Emerge In Official Iowa Boys High School Basketball Rankings

The latest Iowa High School Athletic Association boys high school basketball rankings feature two new No. 1 teams.

Storm Lake, led by Creighton University commit Jaidyn Coon, moved to the top in Class 3A while Kuemper Catholic took over the No. 1 position in 2A.

Cedar Falls (4A) and Bishop Garrigan (1A) remained in the top positions in the other two classes.

The official rankings from the Iowa High School Athletic Association will be important in a couple of weeks when the postseason brackets are released for all four classes. The rankings will help separate the top teams from one another while also deciding where games are played in districts and substate matchups.

Here are the sixth Iowa High School Athletic Association boys high school basketball rankings.