Ryan Harklau

Role players come in all shapes and sizes. And sometimes, they have to change their shapes and sizes to fit their roles. So as you fill up on Christmas goodies and homecooked meals, just pretend you are getting yourself ready for a new challenge. Ryan Harklau went from being a 3 sport star at Humboldt High School to working through the dark days of the Dan McCarney era. Harklau has never stopped chasing down experiences in and around sports. Today he is still very involved with the Iowa State Cyclones and gets to stay about as close to the game as you can get. Ryan Harklau grew up in the small town of Humboldt, IA. Playing multiple sports was a way of life in a small town. Harklau was a standout in football, basketball, and on the track. He was a serious athlete. He was a 6'4 200 meter dash and sprint relay guy who spent his summer traveling with Martin Bros. before bulking up to dominate on the football field. Harklau had to make a major transition when he arrived in Ames, though. He went from an athletic sprinter/hooper to a 275+ pound Division I defensive lineman. Putting on that much weight takes more than a few Christmas cookies. Being part of the up-and-coming Cyclones earned him a shot in the NFL. The once undersized defensive lineman took his game to Jacksonville and scratched and clawed his way into an opportunity with the Jaguars. Nowadays, Harklau is still on the field, taking over the sideline reporter job from Ben Bruns. When he isn't giving John Walters the in-game update, Harklau serves on the board of the We Will Collective. He may not be chasing down quarterbacks on the field anymore, but Harklau is working hard to help build a winner in Ames.