When you throw on the film of tight end Keaton Roskop, it doesn’t take long to see why he’s a top five overall prospect, already committed to Iowa State and continuing to receive offers from programs all over the country. Roskop appears to be the complete package at the tight end position. He has all the physical traits and skills to be an outstanding tight end at the next level. The combination of route running, hands and deceptive speed all stood out in a big way on his film from last fall. And when we say deceptive speed, we’re talking about those moments when he’s outrunning opposing defensive backs. You just don’t see that very often from a guy with Roskop’s size but not only does he have the size to overpower defensive backs, he can also run away from them. And those hands look like they are layered with glue. Roskop catches everything thrown his way and there were plenty of times when he was draped in coverage and yet he still came down with the ball. He’s a prospect at the tight end position that we consider always open because even when he’s covered, he’s still coming down with the ball more times than not.

Representing the Cedar Rapids suburb of Marion, Linn-Mar High School’s Keaton Roskop Keaton Roskop 6'3" | 215 lbs | TE Linnmar Marion | 2024 State IA is a 6’3, 220 lb. tank who exemplifies a lot of the qualities we see in Iowa products that help him go on to find so much success at the next level. Toughness, two-way, multi-sport backgrounds, and physicality for days, Roskop saw his hard work and great junior tape pay off in January when the in-state Cyclones became his first college football offer, which ended up paying off for the Cyclones, among other reasons. Kansas State, NIU, UNI, Army, and Dartmouth then followed, but Roskop felt confident in his process and committed to the Cyclones in early March. He was receiving offers to play two positions and had great reps at both spots last fall. As a TE, Roskop is a big-time asset in the passing game and shows off fluid, powerful strides that give way to good speed for his size. He can beat DBs during the route and after the catch, and uses those powerful legs to easily chuhrough tackle attempts at his lower body. Roskop is, like you’d hope from a TE, a productive and dangerous target in the red zone who can win contested catches, but he can also create big plays downfield from all parts of the field. Also a strong blocker with good leg drive and motivation to beat the man in front of him. Defensively, he split time between DE and LB, but from either position he thrived at beating blocks and making tackles through contact, and was a particular nightmare to QBs and the helpless linemen who tried to block him. Very dominant tackler as well. Interestingly, teams aren’t done recruiting him, as Texas A&M offered only three days after he committed, but Roskop is set to head back to Ames for the third time since he shut things down, so I don’t think we have a potential flip on our hands. Either way, it’s been fun to watch. Great grab by ISU!