Rohach has roots in Iowa

It could be a little surprising that Grant Rohach, from Moorpark, Calif., committed so early to Iowa State but his parents are from the state, his grandparents still live there and every time Rohach is back visiting he loves the place.

Picking the Cyclones was really no surprise since the 6-foot-2, 185-pound pro-style quarterback who looked good last week at the Elite 11 at Pepperdine always intended to end up playing for an Iowa school.

"Before my junior year I went to the Iowa State camp and the Iowa camp and I wanted to come back to school in Iowa," Rohach said. "That's where I wanted to be. When I was growing up I always wanted to be a Cyclone or a Hawkeye. It just worked out I became a Cyclone. I really love the school and I love the coaches and that was it.

"I would tell people I'm going to Iowa State and they'd say, 'Why Iowa?' but I love the place. I love when I get off the plane I love the people, I love the atmosphere. It's colder and it gets a little humid in the summer but it's not hard to get used to. The atmosphere of it all I just love it."

Rohach, rated No. 26 at pro-style quarterback in the 2012 class and No. 66 in the California state rankings, also had an offer from Western Michigan and other schools were involved but he didn't give anyone much of a chance since he committed to the Cyclones in mid-March.

In his junior season, Rohach threw for about 1,800 yards with 21 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also rushed for eight scores.

Rohach was born in Iowa, moved to Missouri and landed in Southern California in 2002 where he's been ever since.

But family trips take him back to his grandparents' farm in Elkader, Iowa, and his dad's parents are from Garwin, about 90 minutes from Des Moines.

For Rohach, Iowa is like a second home.

"It's a home away from home," Rohach said. "I spend a lot of time out there. We're always back for holidays and we always go back for two or three weeks at a time. I just really love it out there.

"It's kind of our trip, our destination. We like to go to my grandparents' farm in Northeast Iowa so it's just a fun time. We always have a lot of family come in and we love to play around on the farm. I don't get to do that (in Southern California) so doing that stuff is really fun."