From Tampa Bay, Iowa State cornerback T.J. Tampa has NFL potential

AMES — Tampa Bay came up from Tampa last week to take a look at St. Petersburg’s Tampa.

How can it be said any clearer than that?

Well, maybe a few blanks need to be filled. “Tampa Bay” is the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “Tampa” is, yes, the city in Florida. “St. Petersburg’s Tampa” is Iowa State senior cornerback T.J. Tampa, from St. Petersburg, Fla., across Old Tampa Bay from Tampa.

That’s right. One NFL team that’s fully aware of Tampa, the Cyclones’ only preseason-All Big 12 honoree is the Bucs.

Last Friday, Cyclones Coach Matt Campbell chuckled and said “The scout was here already, two days ago, from Tampa.”

Oh, the side hustles Tampa could land if he were drafted by the Buccaneers next spring. Who could dispute he would be the genuine Tampa Bay Tampa?

“My dad talks about it all the time,” Tampa said last week at Iowa State’s media day.

“It would be fun to play there because of the last name. I definitely get a lot of compliments on the name. A lot of people talk about it, start conversations about it. It’s kind of fun.”

In the meantime, Tampa is happy in Ames. He’s proven that. After being voted second-team All-Big 12 by the conference’s coaches despite playing for a team that was 1-8 in league play, Tampa could have gone to the NFL. He also could have been wooed away by a school with some NIL heavy-hitters.

Instead, he stayed put.

Last December, Tampa tweeted “They offered me the world, I said I had my own … here 2 stay.”

“I love it,” he said last week. “I love my teammates. And I just love being here. It felt like home, so there’s no reason to leave here.

“I kind of knew I needed another year. I wanted another year to get better to come out a better corner and just a better football player.”

Tampa played at Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, which has been a legitimate prep power. Iowa State has done pretty well recruiting the Tampa-St. Pete area under Campbell.

“We actually have a good relationship with T.J.’s high school coach (Cory Moore),” Campbell said. “We had a player at the University of Toledo named Bernard Reedy (23 touchdown catches in three seasons), who was a phenomenal slot receiver from the same high school that T.J. came from.”

Since Moore has coached there, about a dozen of his players have gone on to the NFL and several dozen more played college football.

Tampa is a leaper. He played basketball for a state-tournament finalist at Lakewood, and was good enough to get a basketball scholarship offer from James Madison.

He had more offers in football. Iowa State was in on him early. Tampa visited Ames, committed to the Cyclones, and didn’t waver even when Georgia made a push.

“That journey was really rewarding for us to go through,” Campbell said, “because at the end it was really between Georgia and Iowa State. For him to come to Iowa State, I thought that was really huge and he’s really just trusted us every step of the way.”

Georgia, of course, has won the last two national championships. Tampa grew up in Atlanta before moving to St. Pete early in his high school career. So, any second thoughts about choosing Iowa State?

“I’ve never regretted it,” Tampa said. “This is where I want to be. I love it here. No reason to look back on anything.”

At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Tampa has NFL cornerback size.

“He certainly could have opted to leave and go in the National Football League last year,” Campbell said. “For him to come back, and you look at the transformation he’s made physically, it’s been nothing short of exceptional.”

Now Tampa just has to continue the rise he’s made as a player to get an NFL job next year. And to really cash in, it would help if Tampa Bay spends a draft pick on Tampa-St. Pete’s Tampa.

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