Lalk ‘steady and solid’ as Iowa State center

AMES - Iowa State offensive coordinator Mark Mangino surveyed the tape of last year's offensive line play and compared it to this season.

What he saw was eye-catching.

Jamison Lalk had been a piece of the offensive line for a couple seasons, but Mangino didn't know quite what the red-shirt senior was capable of. When Mangino compared the tapes, Lalk's growth was magnified and his impact this season was evident.

'He's stronger, he's quicker, he's playing with better knee bend and he's not leaning on his blocks,” Mangino said. 'He's using his hands well and when we use him as a puller, he has really been an asset to our run game.”

The Cyclones' rushing attack has been the bright spot to the ISU offense this season, thanks largely to the emergence of red-shirt freshman Mike Warren. While his talent has been a big piece in three-straight 100-yard rushing performances, the offensive line has been the conduit through which Warren has worked.

Lalk is the prime example of how development of offensive linemen at Iowa State can take almost four full years. He is second on the team in career starts (24) and has spent time at guard and center during his first three years on the field.

The Council Bluffs, Iowa, native also filled in for All-Big 12 center Tom Farniok on occasion in the past two seasons, and knows his versatility has helped him grow as well.

'This is another year under my belt and just being out there with the guys,” Lalk said. 'Probably changing to the center position helped me a little bit because I knew that I needed to step up and be a leader to the guys.”

Lalk's responsibility as center is to make checks at the line of scrimmage based on what he's seeing at the defensive front, which requires a high football I.Q. and personal maturity. He not only has that on the field, but in his personal life. Lalk and his wife are expecting their first child April 25, which has kept him grounded.

'Just really solid and really steady,” said coach Paul Rhoads. 'Grading out consistently well. Very, very coachable kid. And a father-to-be so he's working on taking care of that future child.”

Mangino has even heard from NFL teams about Lalk's ability and talk of an All-Big 12 honor isn't out of the question either. That's a stark difference from the player Mangino watched on film just 12 months ago.

'He's really molded into a great player there at center,” said quarterback Sam Richardson. 'I think he's vocalizing a lot more in this offseason and kind of working together and molding that offensive line. He's just a very positive guy and has a great attitude.”

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