Yale grad Tamatoa McDonough emerging as a force on Iowa State’s D-line

AMES — As Tamatoa McDonough clutched his Yale diploma, he locked eyes with his family in the crowd.

The date: May 19.

His achievement: An Ivy League degree in political science.

The moment?

“Incredible,” said McDonough, who will finish his college football career as a defensive lineman for Iowa State. “My whole family was with me in New Haven, so I was really thankful everyone made it to that.”

Three days later, that well-deserved pomp and circumstance faded into McDonough’s arrival on the ISU campus. The 6-foot-5, 265-pound redshirt senior had some catching up to do — and he dove into the waning days of spring and the summer workouts to come with alacrity.

“It was definitely a challenge,” said McDonough, who led the Bulldogs with 6.5 sacks last season. “I think the biggest thing was just getting to know my teammates, obviously, because as an older guy you’ve got to set the example, but you also don’t have as much time, in my position, to get to know everybody and build those relationships. So kind of putting a clock on that and trying to do that as soon as I could.”

McDonough boasts a strong track record of chasing down opposing quarterbacks and taking them to the ground — a quality sorely needed in a deep, but largely unproven Cyclone defensive line room. ISU produced as Big 12-worst 16 sacks during an historic 11-win 2024 season and McDonough compiled a personal five-game streak of recording at least one sack while fighting in the Ivy League’s trenches.

“I think every day in practice you see that guy getting better and better,” said longtime Cyclone defensive line coach Eli Rasheed — one of head coach Matt Campbell’s most tenured assistants. “I think he’s gonna be exactly what we want as he gets going and learns the speed of the Big 12. But he’s done a fantastic job of taking the install and just getting better. Man, we just ask the guys to get one percent better.”

McDonough got more than one percent stronger quickly after joining ISU’s program. He credits the Cyclones’ sports nutrition and strength staff with helping him pack nearly 15 pounds of muscle onto his already sturdy frame — massive gains for an already physically mature graduate transfer.

“I played at probably low 250s last year and I was like, ‘OK, this is where I’m at,’” said McDonough, whose older brother, Eku Leota, is a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. “I just need to recomp(position), you know, lean out.’ But getting here, I’ve been putting on weight and I haven’t felt sluggish, I haven’t felt slower, so I was definitely surprised.”

McDonough’s teammates haven’t been surprised by how well he’s fit into the program in a span of roughly two months. His maturity and intelligence have helped him forge deep bonds in a relatively short time.

“He knows the game, he understands it, he knows the process it takes to be great,” said fellow defensive lineman Ike Ezeogu, who also happens to be McDonough’s fall camp roommate. “And Coach Campbell says it all the time, there is a process. Hard work is something that you’ve gotta do if you want to be great and I think Tamatoa definitely understands that. He continues to show it and I think I’ve seen it in him.”

So has Rasheed, who welcomed in two other transfers who can contribute off the edge in Cannon Butler (Northern Iowa) and Vontroy Malone (Tulsa).

“We’ve got the pieces,” Rasheed said. “We’ve gotta make sure they’re on the field when we need them.”

McDonough, for one, is eager to show what he can do on the field after his whirlwind spring stretched into summer and fall camp. He describes himself as “a balanced rusher” — and his versatility could be one of the keys that unlocks more disruption of opposing backfields.

“Had to get here pretty quick, but that’s exactly what I wanted,” he said. “I just wanted to get started as soon as possible. I know of felt like I was in limbo throughout the spring, so it was good to get here quick and get started.”

Comments: robgray18@icould.com