RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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AMES — Before Pete Menage even landed in Ames, he spent time in his Pullman, Washington office combing through film of Iowa State football players.
He mainly focused on safeties, a position group he coached at Washington State and would do so again for the Cyclones.
He took special note of former walk-on-turned-scholarship player Drew Surges. Menage felt Surges could elevate his game even further with the new-look Cyclones, and was penned as an early candidate to be a leader for Iowa State 's secondary.
Now that they've gotten well-acquainted with one another over the last eight months, Menage has been pleased to learn his hunch was proven true.
"(Surges') reaction was, 'I agree,' and that's what you look for," Menage said, recalling that long-distance phone call with Surges in December. "You don't look for – when you say, 'Hey, I think you can lead,' and a kid is like, 'Oh, wow, me?' It was refreshing to see when I said that to him, for him to be like, 'I know.'"
Surges may no longer be a walk-on, but that determination to prove himself with his work ethic remains. He's a front-runner for a starting job at safety and will be one of the pivotal members of the Cyclones' secondary.
He's also found his voice. He's vocal on the field, where he'll be required to call out plays and communicate to get his teammates on the same page, and off the field in the locker room or in the weight room.
"He's been waiting for this opportunity for a long time," Menage said. "He knows that he needs to attack every day like we're getting ready to play a game and he does, and that's a credit to him. He's nowhere near where he wants to be and where we need him to be in the future and his football potential, but he's just playing good ball right now."
Last year, Surges appeared in all 12 games and made three starts. He finished the season with 26 tackles, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and an interception.
"I definitely feel quicker, faster, stronger mentally," Surges said. "My film studies obviously increased over the years, which has helped me a lot, but over the past year to now, I just feel faster, lighter, more agile and all that, so I can't wait for what this year has to bring."
Surges still has a workman-like attitude that has commanded respect from his coaches and teammates, but there's a greater sense of swagger and confidence now, too.
He admits he was once a quiet, reserved freshman who often tried to sit in the back of meetings and film rooms, mostly observing and being a wallflower.
There was hardly anything quiet about his play, though. As a first-year player in 2023, he turned heads and worked his way up the depth chart, appearing in 12 games, with two starts. His first career start came against Kansas State on Nov. 25, 2023, when he racked up 11 tackles. He also started in the Liberty Bowl against Memphis.
Surges faced major setbacks in 2024, when hamstring injuries kept him out for most of the season. But he was able to return towards the end of the year and had the game-sealing interception in the Cyclones' victory over Miami in the Pop-Tarts Bowl to cap their 11-win campaign.
"Struggled with injuries, a couple of hammies," Surges said. "Kind of sucked, kind of took you out of the whole mojo of things. Took away all that. The hammy kind of messed it all up, but just can't get complacent in those moments and just keep looking, leaning on others to get through those times."
Now, he's back on an upward trajectory.
He looked up to former teammates Beau Freyler, a two-year captain, and Ben Nikkel, who was also a walk-on turned scholarship player. Nikkel even became a co-captain during his final year as a Cyclone in 2023 and signed a reserve contract with the Indianapolis Colts this past January.
With so many new teammates on the 2026 Cyclones, Surges hopes to also be a positive role model for those around him.
"One thing as a player I like is for guys to bring people with them and elevate them, because I know what I felt like as a freshman and I was lost," Surges said. "What does it look like to be a starter? Do all these things, and I was lost just trying to figure it out day-by-day and what the work ethic is like. I kind of want to make that process as quick for them as possible.
"I want everyone to play fast, especially in the safety room, play as fast as possible. We're going to need everyone on special teams, you're going to get in the game, be ready to get in the game and make a play."
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5 .
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