It's official

For two Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School football players, the 2023 early signing day on Dec. 21 was a family affair. Parents, grandparents and siblings, as well as teammates and friends witnessed Kooper Ebel and Lance Berends sign their commitments to play college football.

Ebel is one of 21 high school early signees, including seven from Iowa, to commit to Iowa State University. The listing of Cyclone signees identifies Ebel as a 3-star recruit at the linebacker position.

"We are very excited about this outstanding group of young men that will be joining our program," said Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell in the official signing day release. "It is important to our program to recruit high-character young men that take great pride in their academics and in playing the game of football. This class embraces our values and we look forward to the future with them."

Berends is one of 21 early signees with the University of Northern Iowa. The group includes 19 high school players, with eight hailing from Iowa.

He is projected as a defensive lineman and described in the official announcement as "a physical pass rusher."

"I'm excited about this year's incoming recruiting class," said Panther coach Mark Farley. "We really wanted to hone in on the future of UNI football in taking as many freshmen as we did."

In an interview after the high school season, Ebel and Berends said they were looking forward to their college football experiences. Neither has declared an academic major, but both have said they some idea of what they might pursue.