ISU's big man getting attention

All those "watch lists" that include Kelechi Osemele seem a bit redundant.

Because when Iowa State is on the football field, you can't help but watch Osemele - he's the biggest guy out there.

"You're talking about a very large human being," ISU Coach Paul Rhoads said, in what so far is the understatement of the year.

Osemele fills the Cyclones' left tackle spot with a 6-foot-6, 347-pound frame that he carries well. He's an agile pass blocker, a necessary skill in Iowa State's spread offense, but he prefers the straight-ahead, smash-mouth approach of run blocking.

"I'd rather we run every play," he said with a laugh.

Barring injury, Osemele will start his 31st straight game when he begins his senior season against Northern Iowa on Sept. 3. He received honorable mention in the all-Big 12 voting last season and was a second-team all-Big 12 selection as a sophomore in 2009.

But that's nothing compared to the recognition showered on the big fella this year. Osemele appears on a slew of preseason All-America and all-Big 12 teams and he's listed as a potential candidate for the Lombardi Award, which goes to the nation's top lineman, and the Outland Trophy, which goes to the best interior linemen.

He's also projected in many quarters as a first-round pick in the NFL draft next spring.

Osemele keeps himself grounded amid all the hype by ignoring it.

"It's kind of easy," he said. "I'm not really the type of guy that likes to read all that much."

If Osemele ever did get out of line, his teammates would be sure to reel him back in.

"They poke a little bit of fun with me," he said. "I'll walk into the weight room and they'll be like, ‘First round. Uh-oh. Watch out, first round.' They do that to make sure I'm working on my toes all the time."

Osemele came to Iowa State from Langham Creek High School in Houston as part of former coach Gene Chizik's first recruiting class. Even then, as an 18-year-old, he was listed at 6-5 and 298, big enough to step in and play right away.

He didn't. Chizik's staff red-shirted Osemele in 2007, then found they couldn't keep him off the field the following year. Osemele played as a reserve in the first seven games that season before drawing his first start in game No. 8 against one of his home state teams, Texas A&M.

Osemele has been a fixture in the lineup ever since. And his teammates don't have to worry about making sure that Osemele work hard because if there's one thing Osemele has learned at Iowa State, it's how much work it takes to play college football.

"You come here and you realize it's a whole different level of playing," he said. "You come from high school football, Texas high school football, you think you work hard. Then you get here and guys are just, man, it's incredible.

"You've got to up your game. It's intense every day. Every day you have to bring it. If you miss out on one day, there's no telling how that's going to impact your season."

Osemele anchors an offensive line that has two other returning starters but one major hole.

Senior Hayworth Hicks, also very large at 6-3 and 336, is back at right guard. Brayden Burris, a 6-6, 298-pound junior, returns at right tackle. But center Ben Lamaak is gone and that's a concern because the center makes the calls for the offensive line.

"Jokingly, we say he makes the carpet match the curtains," said Bill Bleil, the Cyclones' offensive line coach.

None of the top three centers on the depth chart has played a major college game. Red-shirt freshman Tom Farniok is listed at No. 1, followed by junior college transfer Sam Tautolo and another red-shirt freshman, Ben Loth. Farniok got more snaps than the others in spring ball.

"Tom's a very intelligent football player and the scheme is not so unlike what he had in high school," Bleil said. "He had a very good high school coach. I just see him being way ahead of the game for his age."

The Cyclones have constantly sought more big plays in their passing game and that starts with the linemen holding their blocks so deep routes have time to develop. Maintaining those blocks also would help cut down on the 33 sacks the Cyclones surrendered last year.

"You have to have big plays," Bleil said. "You can't always go 12 plays for a score, especially in this league. You've got to throw the ball for touchdowns. To do that, you've got to take shots. We're excited about creating an opportunity to do that."

Projected starters:  LT - Kelechi Osemele, 6-6, 347, Sr.  LG - Ethan Tutfee, 6-4, 315, So.  C - Tom Farniok, 6-3, 280, Fr.  RG - Hayworth Hicks, 6-3, 336, Sr.  RT - Brayden Burris, 6-6, 298, Jr.

Backups:  LT - Carter Bykowski, 6-7, 306, Jr.  LG - Shaban Dika, 6-5, 301, Fr.  C - Sam Tautolo, 6-3, 312, Jr.  RG - Jon Caspers, 6-5, 277, Jr.  RT - Kyle Lichtenberg, 6-6, 285, So.

Cyclones need: A solid performance from one of the new centers who will replace the departed Ben Lamaak.