Iowa OL gets red-carpet treament
An unofficial visit to Kansas State last weekend got John Tjaden a lot of personal attention from the coaches, including coach Bill Snyder.
Although Iowa State is currently the only school to give Tjaden a solid offer, perhaps defensive coordinator Bob Elliott’s move from Ames to Manhattan will change that.
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“I spent a lot of time with coach Elliot while I was at K-State,” Tjaden said.
“When he was at Iowa State, he was the first coach to show any interest in recruiting me. I also got to spend some time with, coach Dunn, their offensive line coach.”
Tjaden, 6-foot-7, 285-pound offensive tackle out of Mason City, Iowa, attended KSU’s one-day camp in Kansas City, as well as camps at Iowa State, Iowa, and Stanford. He lists his current favorites as K-State, Iowa State, Northwestern, Harvard, and Stanford.
“All the camps went really well,” he said. “They were all quite a bit different but I had a good time.”
Tjaden averaged three pancakes per game and was a unanimous first-team all-conference team last year and was honorable mention all-state pick.
Academics are also important to Tjaden.
He recently scored a 30 on his ACT but is not satisfied with that and intends to retake the test. With the exception of one B as a freshman, he has maintained straight-A grades.
“I have talked to the teacher who gave me the B and she has agreed to let me complete some extra assignments and bring that grade up so I can graduate with a 4.0,” he said.
Tjaden is searching for a school that offers him a balance between athletics and academics.
“I’m looking at several factors in a college – academics, coaching, how well I fit into the program, possible playing time and the potential for bowl games,” he said.