Chalk up another recruiting win for Kelvin Bell and LeVar Woods. Chalk up another black and gold pledge.
Chima Chineke announced his commitment to the Hawkeyes. The 6-foot-5, 230 pound EDGE is out of Plano East High School in Texas. Per MaxPreps, Chineke tallied 31 tackles, 6.5 sacks, five hurries, 1.5 tackles for loss and one pass breakup in 2022.
The talented Lone Star State product chose the Hawkeyes over offers from Kansas, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Vanderbilt, Houston, Memphis, Oregon State, Texas State and Tulsa.
Chineke is a consensus three-star commit across the four major recruiting services. On3 ranks Chineke the highest, placing the edge rusher as the nation’s No. 32 EDGE and as the No. 64 player from Texas.
#AGTG COMMITTED pic.twitter.com/UEYPtJMOlG
— Chima Chineke (@ChimaChineke1) July 19, 2023
After receiving his offer in March, Chineke officially visited the Hawkeyes in late June. From that point, it seemed like Iowa was in a great position in Chineke’s recruitment as multiple recruiting predictions rolled in following his visit to Iowa City.
At the time, Chineke shared with Hawkeye Insider’s Sean Bock what stood out about his visit to the Hawkeyes. Again, it painted a positive picture for Iowa.
“Honestly, it was how great the coaches were to me and my family and the hospitality was great. Anytime we were eating or anytime at all the coaches were asking us about stuff and making sure we were comfortable. The culture there is great and I love that, too.
“Everybody picks eachother up and that’s what makes them a great football program. The facilities were great and I loved the educational opportunities. It checked off all my boxes. The developmental plan for me to become a better person and football player was there by the coaches and I really liked that,” Chineke said after his June visit.
Chineke also raved about Iowa defensive line coach Kelvin Bell.
“He has played a huge role in my recruitment. He is always checking up on me and he is a really great coach and I really like his personality. I really feel like he’s going to push me to be the best person and football player I can be during my time at Iowa. I really felt a good connection with him,” Chineke said of coach Bell.
Chineke joins a group of defensive line commits that also includes Cedar Falls EDGE Drew Campbell out of Iowa, Westminster Christian Academy EDGE Joseph Anderson out of St. Louis and Brophy College Preparatory EDGE Devan Kennedy out of Phoenix.
Iowa’s class has now grown to 20 scholarship commits and four preferred walk-on pledges overall. Per 247Sports, the Hawkeyes’ class is the nation’s No. 27 class in the country. Meanwhile, On3 rates Iowa’s class No. 30 nationally, while Rivals ranks it No. 32.
Here’s a look at Chineke’s junior season Hudl highlights. Plus, his full recruiting profile is below.
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