Iowa State's Will McDonald, a 'freak' who terrorized practice, takes next step to NFL
AMES – I talked to the president of the Will McDonald Fan Club last week. That would be Matt Campbell.
Ask Iowa State’s coach what the school’s best-ever defensive end has that the NFL wants, and Campbell can talk forever.
“Will has physically and football-wise gotten better leaps and bounds every season he played here,” Campbell told me. “The one thing he has from an elite trait that the NFL is looking for is the ability to affect the quarterback. I feel he’s the most elite player I’ve been around in that respect, whether it’s a sack, knocking down balls, disrupting timing with his athleticism, or making the quarterback uncomfortable. In that league, everybody is looking for those traits.”
He was just getting started.
“He terrorizes practice,” Campbell continued. “He can ruin a practice in a heartbeat. Every rep is at an elite level. He’s been in love with becoming the best.
“He’s 23, 24 years old, but his football age – he’s only 6 to 7 years into this. That guy can only continue to grow and get better. The sky is the different. He’s no different than (former Cyclone running back) Breece (Hall), in terms of elite athleticism. It’s the same, regardless if he’s playing defensive end or outside linebacker.”
Whew.
Iowa State’s record-setting defensive end will be the most scrutinized of the four Cyclones invited to this week’s NFL Combine in Indianapolis. The other invitees are defensive end M.J. Anderson, receiver Xavier Hutchinson and defensive back Anthony Johnson Jr. All will have NFL opportunities, but McDonald is the one being mentioned in first- or second-round conversations for the April 27-29 draft.
“The greatest trait he has is that when it’s time to move the quarterback off his spot or get a sack,” Campbell said, “I don’t know that I’ve seen a guy that’s better.”
Will McDonald's impressive stats with Iowa State
34 career sacks is an Iowa State record, and ties for the most in Big 12 history.
10 forced fumbles during his career.
123 career tackles and 18 quarterback hurries.
35% of his career tackles were for loss.
Two sacks last season against Big 12 Conference championship game winner Kansas State.
Three-time first-team All-Big 12
“If there’s one thing that people learn from me and remember me by, it’s self-motivation," McDonald said late last season. "Before every game, everybody is wearing their headphones. They’re in their zone. What happens when the headphones come off? You’ve got to stay in that zone.
“Never let your guard down. Never let anybody tell you what you can do. To me, nothing is really that hard, unless you make it that complicated. As for the defense, I feel like I can do anything and everything. I can adapt to whatever they want me to do.”
Will McDonald through the eyes of a teammate: 'He’s going to be a superstar'
JaQuan Bailey and I were chatting in a hotel lobby shortly after Iowa State’s football team arrived in Orlando for the 2019 Camping World Bowl. He was rehabbing a broken bone in his lower left leg. He wasn’t playing in the bowl. He was seated on a couch by himself, people-watching at the posh hotel.
We chatted. I didn’t take notes. It was just one of those laid-back, random conversations reporters and players sometimes have during road trips.
“There’s the guy you should be talking to,” Bailey told me as McDonald walked from a hotel gift shop to an elevator. “He’s going to be a superstar. Just watch. He’ll be in the league for a long, long time.”
Bailey was right about McDonald being a superstar. He’s on target to being right about “the league,” too, a process that starts this week at the Combine.
“He’s a freak,” added Bailey, now speaking on the record. “Trust me, everyone will know him. Will is one of the most gifted, elite athletes that I’ve ever watched. That’s a lot, too, because I’m from Florida. I see freaks all the time. Will – that dude is crazy. I’d see him work out ... he’d be running, and all of a sudden, he’d stop and do a backflip. It’s crazy.”
The rise of star football player Will McDonald
Campbell proudly recalls the day he offered a 216-pound basketball-first guy a college scholarship. He was watching one of McDonald’s basketball games at Waukesha (Wis.) North High School. He wanted just one more look at the guy’s athleticism, his footwork and the way he interacted with his teammates.
Sold.
“I met with him for an hour in the volleyball office after his basketball game,” Campbell said. “When I heard him talk, I knew the kid had a chance to be special. He had elite traits, but he was so raw.”
Raw because McDonald concentrated on basketball. Raw because he hadn't yet figured which sport he liked the most.
“I didn’t know a lot about playing, but I was always stronger than the guys trying to block me,” McDonald said during a previous interview. “I didn’t have a lot of finesse. I was more of a see-the-quarterback, rush-the-quarterback player.”
The key was getting him on campus. After that, it was up to the coaches to turn him into a big-time pass rusher.
More:The brief moments Will McDonald IV was a linebacker before he was setting sack records
“Credit to the recruiting department,” defensive line coach Eli Rasheed said. “They go through video every day for hours and hours, looking to find a gem like Will.
“We saw a long, athletic guy who could run around, and did it very well. We knew at some point we better get this guy before everybody finds out who Will is − get him committed and locked for the Cyclones. He was a natural athlete.”
Matt Campbell: Will McDonald is 'someone with the whole package'
“I’m very proud of the success our guys have had. It’s because they all love football. The great players we’ve had − they love to practice. That’s the one thing that makes Will so special."
And yes, that practice intensity carried over to Saturdays.
“Look at the videotape," Campbell said. "On second-and-long, he played linebacker. He’s played the boundary. He’s been the weakside defensive end. We’ve lined him up all over the place – taken advantage of his great position flexibility.”
And off the field?
“I’ve seen his sense of purpose to change his life forever,” Campbell said. “He came back for his final year to get his degree. That meant the world to that kid.
“There’s no immaturity there. You can’t predict when tough times are going to come, but when it does, you want someone with the whole package – like Will.”
Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson is in his 51st year writing sports for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at rpeterson@dmreg.com, and on Twitter @RandyPete
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State's Will McDonald steps toward 2023 draft at the NFL Combine
