QHS graduate Brock voluntarily leaves Iowa State football program, still faces gambling charges

AMES, Iowa — Jirehl Brock’s career with the Iowa State football program is over, and with it, his time playing at the NCAA Division I level likely is as well.

According to a story published by the Des Moines Register on Monday afternoon, Brock voluntarily left the Cyclones football program. The Register said the information was confirmed by an athletic department spokesperson.

The Quincy High School graduate is no longer listed on the team roster on the ISU website.

Brock had been held out of preseason practices because his name surfaced in the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s sports gambling probe. On August 10, charges against Brock were filed in Story County Court accusing him of tampering with records.

According to court documents, the 6-foot, 220-pound senior running back is accused of placing bets in an account registered in the name of a third party, but the account was under his control. He could permanently lose his NCAA eligibility by violating NCAA bylaws prohibiting a student-athlete from gambling on their own games or on other sports at their school.

According to court records, Brock is alleged to have placed bets on four Iowa State football games while a member of the team, including two games he participated in during the 2022 season. Those were against Iowa and Kansas State.

Court documents show Brock is alleged to have placed 1,327 wagers for more than $12,050 on the FanDuel gaming website.

Neither the NCAA nor Iowa State University had suspended Brock as the investigation continues.

He is the third Iowa State player to leave the program and second returning to do so since the gambling probe began in May.

Brock has one year of eligibility remaining, although with the possibility of an NCAA suspension looming, he likely would have to transfer to an NAIA program to continue playing.

Brock was on pace for a healthy return to the starting lineup as the Cyclones’ starting tailback after rushing for 445 yards and three touchdowns last fall. He sustained an ankle injury in a Week 5 loss at Kansas and suffered a broken foot in a loss at Oklahoma State that ended his season. He played in 10 games total, but averaged less than 10 carries per game due to the injuries.

He emerged from spring practice as the Cyclones’ No. 1 tailback but had not participated in a single practice this fall.

A four-star recruit coming out of high school, Brock led the Blue Devils to three consecutive playoff appearances while becoming the leading rusher in program history.

As a junior, he rushed for a single-season school record 1,588 yards and broke the single-game rushing record with 304 yards against Rock Island. As a senior, Brock finished with a school-record 2,158 yards rushing and 33 rushing touchdowns, breaking the single-game rushing record with 333 yards in the regular-season finale against Quincy Notre Dame. 

He also tied the single-game touchdown record by scoring six TDs in a game twice in his career, including against QND. Brock’s 5,135 career rushing yards is the school record and ranks among the top 20 career performances in Illinois High School Association history.

He was named the Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior in 2018.