Rapid growth for Cyclones’ Campos

AMES - When Jake Campos evaluated his play after Iowa State's loss to Oklahoma State, it was unmistakable.

He saw exponential growth in his performance.

The red-shirt freshman made his first career start against Kansas State on Sept. 6 - which was also the first time he got snaps of college football - and the progress he's seen in his understanding and performance has greatly improved.

'That first start against K-State I was pretty rusty, pretty green and then every weekend I've been getting a lot better,” Campos said. 'Being a young guy, it's going to happen that every week is going to get a lot better.”

Campos made that first start against the Wildcats just days after senior offensive lineman Jacob Gannon left the team for personal reasons. Now that Gannon has returned after getting treated for anxiety, Campos has held on to a starting spot at left tackle.

In his first couple games, Coach Paul Rhoads said Campos didn't grade out particularly well in certain situations, but has been constantly improving. On Saturday against the Cowboys, Rhoads saw 'a nice uptick in his performance.”

'His versatility certainly comes in the form of his athleticism, to be what he is height-wise and still be athletic enough to do the things run and pass-wise that we need is important,” Rhoads said. 'As young player to go from right tackle to left tackle is also a tribute to him and the job coach (Brandon) Blaney is doing of bringing him along.”

With injuries hitting the offensive line, Campos has been switching positions from right tackle to left tackle. As a prep at West Des Moines Valley, he would work on switching sides of the line and had some experience switching during his red-shirt season, too.

In his transition to the left side, Campos said it's something that he gets practice reps in during the entire week, but there still are challenges that come along with the change.

'It's just a lot of the footwork, just pushing off different feet,” Campos said. 'When I'm back with my right first you have to push off your right foot to do a post. Everything is just a little bit opposite, but it's not bad.”

The beginning to Campos' career as a starter has mirrored the arch of the team this season. He didn't play against North Dakota State, but has played in the four games since and has made strides in his technique as a lineman.

Rhoads said all the players can do is focus on the things within their control.

'They're 1-4, it's hard to be confident when you're 1-4,” Rhoads said. 'But I don't think I would describe them as fragile probably yet because I do think they understand and appreciate the level of competition that we've played. I think they've learned week by week about the process.”

Against Kansas State, Campos was matched up with preseason All-Big 12 defensive end Ryan Mueller, which proved to be a daunting early test. The way Campos saw it, going against a player that is highly regarding in the Big 12 only increased his confidence and set a tone for this season.

'Obviously I made some mistakes in that game, but I kind of proved to myself I can play at this level,” Campos said. 'That was big and then going into Baylor there were two fantastic d-ends, so just having that confidence going in was huge that I can play with the best in the league.”

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