Head start pays off

Graduating from high school a semester early so he could enroll at Iowa State University in January turned out to be a great decision, as far as Trevor Downing is concerned.

Figuring out the campus bus system, discovering where classes are held, and learning the Iowa State offensive playbook are just a few of the advantages, said Downing, who turned 19 on the Ames campus in March when his Creston classmates were still getting ready for prom or practicing a spring sport.

The head start in Iowa State’s strength and conditioning program has transformed his body for the rigors of Big 12 football. As fall camp gets underway Friday, Downing is listed as the backup right guard on the Cyclones’ spring depth chart released by head coach Matt Campbell.

The son of Todd and Lesa Downing said moving to Ames early was not the coaching staff’s idea, but as the state’s second-ranked overall recruit by 247Sports and Scout, and 18th-ranked guard in the nation, he was told he had a chance to play early in his career, especially with extra preparation time.

“Honestly, I kind of asked them about it because I had the credits to graduate early,” Downing said. “They loved the idea. Five of us (freshmen and transfer) commits enrolled early. I got up there and got acclimated. I got three really good roommates who are lifelong friends, hopefully. There’s a lot to learn right away. I gained a lot by being in our weight room for six months and the 15 spring practices. It’s a more gradual way into the playbook than being thrown right into the fire in the fall.”

Other freshmen arrrived for summer drills in late June. Downing had already spent six months in Ames.

Creston/O-M head coach Brian Morrison is not surprised to see his former all-state lineman finding early success as a Cyclone.

“I’m not surprised,” Morrison said. “In talking to the Iowa State coaches, they said he had a tremendous winter and they were really excited about him, physically. He’s changed a ton as far as what he looks like. Their strength program really did a number on him.”

Standing just over 6-foot-4, Downing played right offensive tackle at Creston/O-M at 295 pounds. He’s up to 304 pounds now and moved to the interior guard position. In the meantime, he’s become leaner and faster.

“I put on a little weight but I lost 4 percent body fat since I’ve been up there,” Downing said. “I feel a lot better on my feet. They feed us really well. We have two team meals a day, and we’re on our own for lunch. They have a nutritionist who tells us how much or how little we can have. It’s mostly high-protein stuff. If we get mac and cheese, it’s only a scoop. You can’t load up. She’s right there watching us.”

His experience in the Creston Community High School weight room directed by assistant coach Casey Tanner, Downing was prepared well for college, he said.

“Casey Tanner is unreal,” Downing said. “Creston is lucky to have him. Honestly, in our (ISU) weight training, there wasn’t that much of a difference from our high school program. Not many can say that. I was lucky to have the coaches I had in Creston. The terminology is different, and the level of play is a lot different, of course. But I was ready.”

A video clip from winter strength and conditioning went viral online in February, showing Downing winning a rope pull challenge against a sophomore defensive lineman. He was 18 years old and should have still been in high school, but there he was, more than holding his own in physical tests against other Division I players.

“Yeah, that day we broke into eight teams for group competition,” Downing said, smiling. “Coach called out a couple of names for the rope pull and I heard my name. I was kind of shocked that I won it, honestly. That was really cool.”

During those early months, Downing wasn’t calling attention to himself, just trying to fit in. Winning that strength drill immediately gave him instant credibility.

“That first semester, I just kind of kept my head down and did my thing,” Downing said. “I didn’t say a whole lot to anybody. I didn’t want to come across as arrogant or anything.”

In the classroom, Downing compiled a 3.0 grade point average his first semester at ISU, and gained permission from coach Campbell to move off campus this fall with his other spring semester roommates. (Freshmen team members are usually required to live on campus, but exceptions are made if academic standards are met.)

Coaching change

In his own quiet manner, Downing made an impression on the coaching staff. He didn’t skip a beat when the offensive line coach (and offensive coordinator) who recruited him, Tom Manning, resigned to take a position as tight ends coach for the Indianapolis Colts. Jeff Myers, a graduate assistant who had played at Toledo for much of the current ISU coaching staff and worked under Manning at ISU, became the new offensive line coach.

"He's probably the most impressive one so far for his current situation," Myers told Alex Halsted, an Iowa State recruiting reporter at 247Sports. "You talk about a guy who graduated early, should still be a high school senior, and he's been impressive. For a young guy to be able to come in and handle the playbook on day one and two, to be able to come off the football and drive people vertically, he's been more than we could ask for."

Downing is listed behind 6-5, 309-pound junior Josh Knipfel at right guard. Under a new NCAA rule, a player can be redshirted even while playing in up to four games. Downing is hopeful of some playing time in the early-season slate starting with Sept. 1 against South Dakota State, even if he ultimately is redshirted to retain four more years of eligibility.

“Just to get a little playing time would mean a lot,” Downing said.

“That’s a great rule for his situation,” Morrison added. “They can see what he looks like in four games. I’m excited for him.”

Ag interest

On Monday morning, a couple of hours before returning to his family’s farm north of Creston to mow hay, Downing said the hardest part about being away at school will be missing the fall harvest season. As an ag studies major he will eventually get a lot of hands-on experience at Iowa State’s Ag 450 Farm, the nation’s only completely student-run farm at a land grant institution.

“Yeah, harvest is my favorite season and I probably won’t be able to come back at all,” Downing said. “But, I can handle it for four years. I’ll have the rest of my life for that.”

Unless, that is, the NFL comes calling. During the recruiting process, Halsted wrote that coaches were seeing “next level strength and agility” in Downing’s high school dominance.

“It has crossed my mind,” Downing said. “But, I have work to do to get there, that’s for sure. If I get better every day that will take care of itself.”

It’s still very early in his collegiate career. But, with Trevor Downing’s penchant for working ahead of schedule, anything seems possible.