Iowa State gets a versatile, high-upside safety in Matthew McClain
Matthew McClain arrived at Iowa State as a 2026 freshman safety with legit multi-sport juice: he was a three-star prospect, ranked No. 108 among safeties by 247Sports, and earned Texas private-school all-state honors while starring on offense and defense at Liberty High School[2][8]. In the 2025 season, he showed he can do a little bit of everything — 38 catches for 573 yards, 8 touchdowns, plus 18 tackles and 3 interceptions — which tells you he’s a competitive, ball-producing athlete, not just a “project” recruit[2][8]. Iowa State’s staff has also singled him out as one of the freshmen standing out in the secondary, a good sign for fit, versatility, and early playing-time potential[11].
