AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State defense was bolstered today with the announcement that NJCAA First-Team All-American defensive end Jhaustin Thomas has enrolled at Iowa State.

The Cyclones also welcome Marley Allison, a walk-on wide receiver who starred at Rochester CTC in 2014.

Thomas, a redshirt junior, and Allison, a redshirt sophomore, will begin practicing with the team in fall camp and will be eligible to compete for the Cyclones in 2015.

A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Thomas was one of the top defensive recruits in the nation coming out of Columbia High School where he received offers from Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Georgia and Georgia Tech. As a three-star recruit, he was ranked as the 38th-best defensive end in the nation by ESPN.com.

The 6-6, 265-pounder attended Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas where he was named first-team All-American by the NJCAA and the SWJCFC defensive MVP in 2013. Thomas registered 55 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks to help his team finish 10-2 with a No. 5 national ranking in the final NJCAA poll. He was teammates at TVCC with current Cyclone Jomal Wiltz.

Thomas originally signed with South Carolina in 2014, but stayed at TVCC during the 2014-15 season as a member of the basketball team. He averaged 10.2 points and 5.2 rebounds for the Cardinals last year.

He was ranked as the 89th-best junior college football player in the nation in the final 2014 Rivals.com rankings.

Allison, a native of Minneapolis, Minn., played one season at Rochester CTC in 2014 after an outstanding prep career at Edina High School.

The 5-10, 190-pounder caught 69 passes for 1,139 yards and 14 TDs last season, ranking fifth in the NJCAA in both receiving yards and TD catches. He had six 100-yard receiving games on a team which won the conference title and played in the Graphic Edge Bowl.

When Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads looked at ways of bouncing back from a second straight disappointing season he began in the locker room. Rhoads worked to rebuild the chemistry on the team after last year’s 2-10 record that included a winless Big-12 mark. Rhoads says the effort paid off and it is one of the reasons he is confident the Cyclones will make major strides this season.

How much the Cyclones improve may rest with the development of the offensive line as well as a thin and inexperienced corps of running backs. Rhoads says another key will be how the Cyclones handle adversity. He’s confident the Cyclones have the talent they need to get back to a bowl game.

The Cyclone offense will be led by senior quarterback Sam Richardson, who is preparing for his final season in a Cyclone uniform. Richardson says after a long off season the Cyclones are ready to get on the practice field.

The opener is at home on September fifth against UNI.

(Learfield Sports)

CINCINNATI (AP) — Michael Wacha gave the Cardinals’ tired bullpen a respite by throwing seven innings in the rain on Thursday afternoon, and St. Louis pulled away to a 3-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, taking yet another series from its NL Central rival. The Cardinals improved to 30 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2013 season. They have the best record in the major leagues at 69-39.

They took two of three in Cincinnati and have won 15 of their last 18 series together. The Reds were shut out for the last 18 innings. St. Louis pulled out the second game of the series on Randal Grichuk’s homer in the 13th inning for a 4-3 win on Wednesday night. Wacha (13-4) overcame a 68-minute rain delay at the start of Thursday’s game, and then gave his used-up bullpen a rest.