Iowa State's Lazard turning heads again, this time as punt returner
Allen Lazard turned heads when he decided he was going to stay local and play for Iowa State. The huge wideout from Urbandale, Iowa, was ranked by some among the nation's top 50 recruits. Lazard did have a connection to ISU. His dad, Kevin, was a standout DB for the Cyclones and team co-captain in the early '90s.
"It was very important for us to land him," ISU coach Paul Rhoads told me on the Edward Jones College Football Huddle this week. "He was a national recruit who could've gone anywhere he wanted to in America. It certainly helped that he was a half-hour down the road and that his dad was a captain at Iowa State — and all that played into our favor — but Allen still had to believe in our program. He had to believe in the leadership and had to believe in the direction. And when he did, he sent a large statement around the country that Iowa State is doing things the right way."
Lazard is turning heads again at ISU. After a strong freshman season, where he caught 45 passes for 593 yards, he's added punt returner to his duties, making him one of the biggest punt returners in college football — if not the biggest.
In the Cyclones' opener, Lazard had four returns for 100 yards, producing a gaudy 25-yard average.
"We had our own questions with it," Rhoads admitted. "The first criteria as a punt returner is you're going to catch the ball effectively and consistently, and that's what he did. Now, what he was going to do with it, we weren't sure.
"I didn't like the odds because you just don't see many 6-5, 225-pound punt returners. But he did a fantastic job. He showed that he could make people miss and do things in the open field that are necessary for that position to be successful."
Lazard also made four catches, including on TD grab for the Cyclones in their opener, a 31-7 romp over Northern Iowa. Next up: archrival Iowa.
