Newcomers Making Impression

AMES, Iowa - After Monday's two-a-day workouts, the Cyclones have completed 15 practices since fall camp began and the newcomers have made a solid impression on both head coach Paul Rhoads and wide receivers coach Luke Wells.

“There is a group of them (newcomers) that are doing some good things and I would surmise that we would end up playing four to eight members of this incoming class, not just freshmen but junior college players as well,” Rhoads said. “I think there is a toughness about them. We just completed our 15th practice and at this point in camp you've got to be mentally tough to go out there and improve every day and not just survive. Some of these freshmen are mentally tough when it comes to that. They know their positions.”

Wells was asked specifically about the play of junior college transfer Darius Reynolds and true freshman Josh Lenz.

“I think their work ethic has been really good,” Wells said. “I think both of them have shown up with an eagerness to learn. They were both here all summer. They got a decent grasp of the offense before we even started because of all the work that they put in. They are two guys who are constantly grabbing me outside of meetings and asking questions. The game is important to both of them and I think that's the first part of it. The second part of it is they are both working hard and they both have the ability to make plays. They both have good hands and they both have good play-making ability.”

Whether it's the newcomers or returners, there is one thing Wells would like to see more of from his receivers, and that is consistency.

“Consistency is the one thing we are really looking for right now,” he said. “We aren't as consistent as we need to be. I told (offensive coordinator) Tom Herman earlier, with every practice we have, we can take 10 or 15 highlights clips and say ?wow, we have a chance to make some big plays,' but we aren't doing it every play. We've got to be more consistent with that and make sure we are focused on every snap.”

Players Mentioned

Josh Lenz

Darius Reynolds

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