He was on the recruiting radar early too. Iowa State first contacted him halfway through his junior season.

Ramos said he talked to them after it was permitted on Nov. 1 of last year. Iowa State offered him shortly thereafter and stayed in touch regularly, particularly head coach Matt Campbell, offensive coordinator Tom Manning and recruiting coordinator Alex Golesh. Jaime Ramos also credited assistant director of scouting Taylor Mouser, a Chandler Basha graduate and primary link to Arizona recruits.

"Basically, the only two schools that stayed in contact were Iowa State and ASU — U of A did a little bit. But at that point, those two were battling it out," Joey Ramos said.

He said during his unofficial visit to Ames, he met with the academic board, which really impressed him.

His mother, Jenifer Dillard, said Joey never lost his focus on academics and the whole college experirence. She said even new ASU coach Edwards reiterated that message at their house last week.

"He went to ASU and we really liked the coaches at the time. They were top notch, and they still are. Coach Edwards is amazing. Coach Rodriguez has a wonderful group of men down at the U of A," Dillard said. "But I told him as far as coaches go — when he was torn because he didn’t want to dissappoint any of the men he’s created these relationships with — that you’ve got to fall in love with the school. You’ve got to go there for academics first and foremost. Like his dad has always said — use football, don’t let football use you."

Plus, Iowa State football was one of the most improved programs in the country last year. The Cyclones gave Oklahoma its only loss and knocked off then-undefeated TCU.

"It was really awesome to see them take down those big schools. Because when I first met coach Campbell, the school wasn’t that good, and he talked to me about building something great there and making sure no matter what, our players will play the hardest. It’s really cool that when he says something, you see it happening," Ramos said.

His father, Jaime Ramos, coached him before and during high school. He said his favorite part of the commitment video was the end, where Joey said, "I’m 100 percent committed, now it’s time to go to work."

"As dad, the pride is always going to be there. But being with him throughout this entire process as a coach — not many can say they’ve done that — I know the effort that has gone into it. It’s a lonely road to be able to achieve some of the things that he has done, a lot of lonely days until some of his teammates started to grasp it," Jaime Ramos. "It’s a totally different level when you see a kid that has worked so hard with nobody looking. He used every season as a proving ground to what he did in the offseason. Unfortunately, a lot of kids, with social media, see the end result and they make that their goal. But they don’t have the guidance or the drive."