Iowa State football notes: Defensive coordinator Jon Heacock dishes out ‘secret sauce’ ingredients

AMES — It’s usually a combination of sweet and spicy. Mix in salt and another layer of flavor and you have a savory finishing sauce in the kitchen. The same holds true for a football team, Iowa State defensive coordinator Jon Heacock believes — and no matter how many well-seasoned cooks he has, the basic ingredients never change.

“We don’t approach it any different,” said Heacock, who will lead a mostly young unit on to the field this season. “They will still — this group — will still be the secret sauce and we hope the recipe is handed down like with recipes through the family. That’s what you hope happens. And that’s where (senior linebacker) O’Rien Vance comes in. That’s where (senior defensive back) Anthony Johnson comes in. That’s where (senior edge rusher) Will McDonald comes in. That’s where veteran guys come into play. They have to be able to give the rest of the recipe to the young guys and the young guys have got to be willing to read it and use it. If they do, we’ll be in great shape.”

Vance brings all-around knowledge and expert execution. Johnson is the experimenter — switching to the boundary safety position after playing cornerback previously. McDonald is a celebrity chef of sorts, already owning ISU’s all-time and single-season sacks records (29 and 11.5, respectively). And with this group of Cyclones, there’s no such thing as too many cooks spoiling the kitchen. The more stirring the better.

“To play this game, you can’t play by yourself,” Heacock said. “You have to be willing to listen, to learn, get help from other players and coaches; on the field and off the field.”

Heacock didn’t specifically mention defensive tackle Isaiah Lee by name when he defined what the term “secret sauce” means to his defense, but there’s no doubt the burly 6-0, 305-pound senior from Chicago is one of its key ingredients.

Lee notched four tackles for loss in the final half of the 2021 season — and totaled a single-game career-high four tackles and a half-sack in the Cheez-It Bowl loss to Clemson.

“He’s done a good job,” Heacock said. “I think everybody’s pleased.”

So is Lee, who learned from NFL-bound former ISU defensive tackle Enyi Uwazurike what it takes to make and be a part of Heacock’s thick cookbook.

“You’ve got to be more mature, you’ve got to bring people along with (you), and you can’t be selfish,” Lee said. “I see that now. I see that every rep really counts. … That’s what I’ve learned. And that’s my role now: being a leader.”

Going deep is complicated

Former ISU quarterback Brock Purdy was known for crisp accuracy on short and intermediate passes throughout his record-setting career. But going deep? Not so much — unless in desperation. Will that change with Hunter Dekkers behind center? Maybe. Maybe not.

“Just because you have a strong arm doesn’t mean that you’re great at throwing the ball down the field,” Cyclones offensive coordinator Tom Manning said. “I think Hunter is certainly very capable of doing that. That’s one of the things, I think, that does give Hunter a chance, he does have a strong arm. But there’s a lot more to playing quarterback that being able to just throw the ball down the field in terms of consistency and accuracy. … But he’s been really fun. Really eager to learn. Really is highly motivated and highly focused day-to-day.”

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