Iowa State got a verbal commitment late Saturday night from one of the top prospects still left on its wish list for 2008. In fact, Largo (Fla.) athlete Leonard Johnson couldn't have spoken to ISU head coach Gene Chizik much later and still had it been Saturday at all. But despite the late hour, Chizik was no doubt glad to take the call from Johnson, a three-star prospect that is projected to play cornerback at the next level.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Johnson, who had a long double-digit list of scholarship offers, got a little help from another future Cyclone in placing his commitment phone call to Chizik late Saturday.

"I was talking to Jeremiah Schwartz and he said I should call Coach up and do it," Johnson said. "I was kind of nervous about doing it so late. Jeremiah called first and might have woke him up, I don't know. It was about 11:55 Iowa time. Then I called and then we got on a three-way call together. Jeremiah has been committed up there to them for a long time. Now I am, too."

Johnson's commitment to the Cyclones will stay in the soft column for now as he's planning to take at least two official visits elsewhere in the coming weeks to "make sure" that Iowa State is the right place for him. He's slated to go to Ole Miss on the weekend of Jan. 18 and to Memphis on the weekend of Jan. 25. He's also been talking with South Florida about an official visit as well but as of Sunday night, he said that was not a definite.

Johnson's Division I scholarship offer list for football ended up around a dozen school, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Memphis, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Purdue, South Florida, Troy and West Virginia in addition to Iowa State.


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