Cyclone film room: Iowa State 2018 WR target Tayvonn Kyle has the 'wow factor'

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Iowa State coach Matt Campbell hasn't given up on Kyle Kempt being a Cyclone in 2018.

Iowa State currently has two receivers in its 2018 class, and it’s looking at options for a third. One such option, Georgia three-star prospect Tayvonn Kyle, will take an official visit to Ames this weekend.

Kyle, 6 feet and 165 pounds, played receiver and cornerback for Lowndes High in Valdosta, Georgia, but the Cyclones are recruiting him on offense. According to Maxpreps, he caught 42 passes for 766 yards and 10 touchdowns this season.

Rivals and the 247Sports Composite give him three stars, and the Composite ranks him the No. 161 prospect in a loaded (as usual) 2018 class in Georgia.

Kyle, like Cyclones defensive back target Justin Birdsong, is a speedster with a 40-yard dash time of 4.42. It’s clear from watching his film that Lowndes did whatever it could to get the ball in Kyle’s hands and let him do the rest. His efficient route-running is made for the slot in college, but he may have some ability to play on the outside later in his college career.

Let’s take a closer look at what makes Kyle stand out in this Cyclone film room session …

He has a knack for big plays: Some prospects have that wow factor, where you just want to see what they can do with the ball. Kyle is that kind of prospect. He’s shifty with lethal cuts. He gets to full speed rather quickly and shows vision with his ability to make plays in the open field. In the first clip, he catches a screen pass, digs his foot in the turf for four lateral cuts, makes four tacklers miss and breaks away for a 68-yard gain. At 1:40, he simply blows by a linebacker and in between two defensive backs for a 43-yard touchdown on a go route. At 2:55, he makes seven tacklers miss en route to a 55-yard punt return touchdown. He’s just fun to watch.

A sound route-runner: Kyle demonstrates the ability to run a variety of routes. His cutting skills come into play here, as he often sends defenders running the opposite direction with his moves. At 0:24, Kyle lines up in the slot, fakes outside, cuts across the middle of the field on a deep post and fools the defensive back so bad he actually runs out of frame. At 1:57, Kyle avoids press coverage by out-maneuvering a bigger defender on the line before dashing inside for a quick slant touchdown catch. At 3:55, Kyle goes in motion to the slot and embraces contact with the safety before exploding outside for a big gain on an out route.

Reliable hands — no matter where the ball is: If you’re not a particularly tall receiver, you’d better run solid routes and have good hands. At least from his film, it appears Kyle does. At 3:50, he bails his quarterback out by catching a deep ball that’s so high, it’s practically behind him. At 6:45, Kyle snares a quick slant fastball that is thrown behind him. At 7:45, Kyle snatches the ball out of the air on a high quick slant thrown behind him. He makes the easy catches, too, consistently reaching out and catching with open hands, not his body.

Matthew Bain covers college football and basketball recruiting for the Des Moines Register. He also helps out with Iowa and Iowa State football and basketball coverage for HawkCentral and Cyclone Insider. Contact him at mbain@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @MatthewBain_.