The Iowa Hawkeyes just won a big-time recruiting battle against North Carolina State to land four-star running back Kendrick Raphael out of Naples High School in Naples, Fla.
The 5-foot-11, 180 pound running back visited Iowa City over the weekend and Iowa running backs coach Ladell Betts and the Hawkeyes made the most of their opportunity to pitch Raphael on donning the black and gold. Raphael committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes on Monday night, becoming the 11th pledge in the 2023 class.
Raphael carried 126 times for 1,374 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns last season for Naples High School.
According to On3, Raphael is a four-star talent, the nation’s No. 252 player overall, the No. 14 running back and the No. 48 player from the state of Florida in the 2023 cycle. Rivals and ESPN also each list Raphael as a four-star running back.
Rivals ranks Raphael as the No. 15 running back in the 2023 class and as the No. 50 player from the Sunshine State. Meanwhile, ESPN lists Raphael as the No. 28 running back and the No. 79 player from Florida.
Lastly, 247Sports ranks Raphael as a three-star prospect, the country’s No. 31 running back and the No. 88 player from Florida. However, in the 247Sports composite rankings, Raphael again is listed as a four-star running back. The 247Sports composite rankings regard Raphael as the nation’s No. 343 player nationally, the No. 22 running back and the No. 64 player from Florida.
As mentioned, Iowa won out over N.C. State. The Hawkeyes also beat out offers from schools such as Boston College, BYU, Duke, Iowa State, Louisville, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Vanderbilt and West Virginia.
“I want to say how grateful I am to be blessed by God to be put in the position I am in, without him none of this would be possible. I am so very grateful for all the schools that have recruited me to be a part of their program.
“I want to thank my coaches, friends, teammates, family and especially my mom for making me the person I am today. The endless support from y’all means more than you ever know. With that being said… I am 100% committed to the University of Iowa,” Raphael wrote in his commitment announcement on Twitter.
Let’s take a look at Raphael’s Hudl highlights from his junior season at Naples High School, his full commitment profile and the rest of the Hawkeyes’ 2023 class below.