Tag: Iowa recruiting

Who are the 4 Iowa football commits competing in the state wrestling tournament?

Iowa football continues to look at wrestling for recruits, with Trent Cakerice, Drew Campbell, Cody Fox and Mason Knipp competing in the state championship.

Defense. Toughness. “Punting is winning.” Iowa’s football team thrives on physicality, and for that, it’s unsurprising that head coach Kirk Ferentz takes a page out of the Hawkeyes’ dominant wrestling program in his recruiting efforts.

“The theory I developed was that if a guy was a great wrestler, it didn’t mean he was going to be a great football player, but rarely was he a bad football player,” Ferentz said.

Four Hawkeyes football commits in the class of 2024 are participating in the Iowa state wrestling tournament, and the Des Moines Register did a deep dive on the quartet.

Trent Cakerice, a two-star defensive lineman from Grundy Center, told the outlet he’s focusing on strength and calculated attacks. He has a 38-4 record. On the gridiron, he recorded 56.5 tackles, eight tackles for loss and seven sacks.

Drew Campbell of Cedar Falls told the Register that wrestling helps him in football.

“Leverage is a great thing to have in wrestling. It teaches you feel in football and mentally in a wrestling match you can’t give up, so it teaches you to never give up on a play,” he said.

Last football season, the three-star defensive lineman recorded 64.5 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss and six sacks.

East Buchanan’s four-star lineman Cody Fox served on both lines last season, playing offensive guard for a dynamic rushing team and recording 62.5 tackles, nine tackles for loss and two sacks on defense. He was recruited as an offensive lineman, for which he is ranked four stars and in the top 20 of his class.

Mason Knipp, at Columbus Catholic, also played on both sides of the ball. Despite being unranked, he played a role in the rushing attack that amounted for 2,022 yards and had 78 tackles, 36.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks on defense.

Read more about the athletes at the Des Moines Register.

Notre Dame Offers Scholarship to Son of Two-Time Pro Bowler

Notre Dame has two o-line commitments in their 2021 recruiting class but offered another Friday, the son of a former NFL Pro Bowl tackle.

Three years ago today was a big day for the 2023 Notre Dame football team and for their best player.  You see, Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt, who some call the best tackle in college football, was offered a scholarship on this day three years ago.

Below is what we originally wrote when that news came to be.  Let me just tell you I’m proud of the growth we’ve had as a team of writers in those three years…

From May 22, 2020:

Notre Dame offensive line coach Jeff Quinn made another scholarship offer on Friday, this one to the son of a two-time NFL Pro Bowl offensive lineman.

Joe Alt, a 6-7, 245 pound offensive tackle from Minneapolis announced the offer on Friday afternoon.  Alt is the son of former Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle John, who played his college football at Iowa.

Iowa is one of the six other schools to have already offered Alt.  The Hawkeyes, Minnesota, Iowa State, Kansas State, Missouri and Northwestern all offered Alt before Notre Dame jumped on board Friday.

The athleticism in the family didn’t get passed on to just Joe, as his brother Mark played college hockey before getting drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes.  Mark currently plays for the Colorado Avalanche.

Notre Dame currently has two offensive lineman commitments in their 2021 recruiting class:  OT Blake Fisher and OG Pat Coogan.

5-star Kadyn Proctor says he’s receiving less NIL money with flip to Alabama

Kadyn Proctor’s decision to flip from Iowa to Alabama had nothing to do with NIL money, the 5-star said — he’ll actually be receiving less than he would have with the Hawkeyes.

Kadyn Proctor, ranked on the 247Sports Composite as the No. 12 player in the country and best player in Iowa, initially planned to stay home and play for the Hawkeyes. He committed to Iowa in June. But in December, the five-star offensive tackle signed with Alabama, flipping his commitment to the Crimson Tide.

Some speculated that his decision was about Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) money, but he denied the rumors and said it was about football opportunities. In December, he told Hawk Central that people speculating about NIL did not know the situation.

“It’s not about the money because if people knew about the money situation, they wouldn’t be talking about it,” he said at the time. “But I wanted to go play football at a prestigious school. (There’s) a lot of competition down there and ultimately it’s going to make me better.”

He has since clarified, telling 247Sports this week that he’s actually getting less money with Alabama than he would have at Iowa.

Related: Buckeyes over Bucks: 5-star Brandon Inniss turned down NIL deals to play for Ohio State

“It wasn’t about the NIL money, because I’m not getting as much money as Iowa would’ve paid me,” he said.

Proctor’s mother told Hawk Central that dormitories, team doctors and facilities played a large role in his decision,

The lineman also said he thinks the competition at Alabama will make him a better player.

“I don’t want to come into this school and everybody thinks I’m one of the best players there already. I want to grow. That’s not how I grow. I’ve got to get hit in the mouth before I can grow,” he said.

Alabama, as usual, has a stellar recruiting class that looks to have players that can play key roles as it vies for championships in the coming years. The Crimson Tide has seven five-star players in the class of 2023 committed, by far the most in the nation, and has 21 four-star players. It is ranked the best class in the country.

In fact, Proctor is ranked on the 247Sports Composite as the third-best player in the class despite being the 12th-highest on this list.

So, he’s likely to get his wish of not being assumed as the best player on the field.

More football stories:

UCLA signee Dante Moore named 2023 All-American Bowl MVP

Michigan, Jim Harbaugh under investigation for recruiting violations

Gatorade National Player of the Year finalists announced

Updating 11 recent Iowa Hawkeyes men’s basketball 2022 summer offers

A busy summer has continued over the past month for the Iowa men’s basketball staff. Here’s a look at 11 of their latest offers.

It’s been a busy offseason for the Iowa men’s basketball program. Keegan Murray was drafted No. 4 overall by the Sacramento Kings and has put on a show with his NBA Summer League performances.

Murray’s stardom throughout the Summer League has made Iowa head men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery look pretty smart with his remarks for any of the immediate naysayers. Murray’s fit with the Kings is looking better every second.

Meanwhile, in Iowa City, the Hawkeyes got great news with the return of Keegan’s twin brother, Kris Murray. Kris is happy with his decision to come back to Iowa for another season and it sets up an opportunity for him to fully showcase everything that he’s capable of as the Hawkeyes’ primary star.

With the potential emergence of Payton Sandfort and more production from Patrick McCaffery, Iowa has the makings of another NCAA Tournament team heading into the 2022-23 men’s basketball season. All in all, it’s a pretty talented projected starting lineup and set of reserves for the Hawkeyes.

Of course, Iowa had some staff changes this summer as well. Courtney Eldridge was elevated to one of the Hawkeyes’ assistant coaches from director of recruiting and player development. That replaced the departure of former assistant coach Billy Taylor.

Then, to replace former assistant coach Kirk Speraw, McCaffery and the Hawkeyes went and found a familiar face in new assistant coach Matt Gatens from Drake. Gatens sounds thrilled with the opportunity to be back in Iowa City.

Finally, Iowa added Tristan Spurlock to the staff as the team’s director of player development.

Of course, while all of this was underway, the staff remained busy on the summer recruiting trail. Hawkeyes Wire detailed a series of seven Iowa basketball offers last month.

That group included 2023 small forward Kaden Cooper, 2023 small forward Jamie Kaiser, 2024 center Raleigh Burgess, 2024 combo guard Nick Janowski, 2024 shooting guard Nojus Indrusaitis, 2024 point guard Travis Perry and 2025 center Kai Rogers.

Of course, Iowa also picked up a commitment from four-star, class of 2024 power forward Cooper Koch out of Peoria Notre Dame High School in Illinois. Koch is rated as a four-star talent, the nation’s No. 51 overall player in the 2024 class, the No. 8 power forward and the No. 4 player from Illinois by 247Sports.

That’s just the tip of the recruiting iceberg. Over the past month, 11 more players across the 2023, 2024 and 2025 recruiting classes have been offered by the Iowa Hawkeyes. Let’s take a look at those 11 players below.

3-star 2023 WR Jarriett Buie Jr. picks up Iowa Hawkeyes offer

Jarriett Buie, a three-star 2023 wide receiver from Tampa, Fla., picked up an offer from the Iowa Hawkeyes.

As Iowa works to put some of the finishing touches on its 2023 recruiting class, Hawkeye wide receivers coach Kelton Copeland and the rest of Iowa’s staff have identified one more playmaker they’d love to add to it.

The Hawkeyes offered class of 2023 wide receiver Jarriett Buie Jr. out of Jesuit High School in Tampa, Fla. The 6-foot-3, 185 pound wide receiver also holds Power Five offers from Duke, Iowa State and West Virginia.

In addition, Buie has offers from Arkansas State, Bowling Green, James Madison, Mercer, Middle Tennessee State, and Toledo.

According to ESPN and On3, Buie is a three-star recruit. ESPN rates Buie as the nation’s No. 140 wide receiver and as the No. 154 player from Florida. Meanwhile, On3 ranks Buie as the No. 144 wide receiver in the 2023 class and as the No. 152 player from Florida.

According to MaxPreps, Buie registered 32 receptions for 402 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 14 games with Jesuit High School in 2021. He averaged 12.6 yards per catch as Jesuit finished a perfect 15-0 and as 6A state champions.

Buie would bring a track and field background to Iowa City if he winds up picking the Hawkeyes. In this past track season with Jesuit, Buie recorded a 100-meter dash of 11.49 seconds.

He would also bring a football background to Iowa City. His father played defensive end at South Florida and spent some time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2009.

The Hawkeyes’ 2023 class consists of 17 commits and is currently rated as the nation’s No. 16 class by Rivals, the No. 19 class by 247Sports, the No. 21 class by On3 and the No. 24 class by ESPN.

Another wide receiver name to keep an eye on in the 2023 class as the summer begins to come to a close is Bryson Vowell out of Anderson County High School in Clinton, Tenn. He has a crystal ball prediction in to land with Iowa from HawkeyeInsider‘s Sean Bock.

Here’s a look at Buie’s junior season Hudl highlights with Jesuit High School, his full recruiting profile and a glance at the Hawkeyes’ full list of 2023 commits.

Iowa was the least active Big Ten team in the transfer portal for good reason

The Iowa Hawkeyes were the least active Big Ten team in the transfer portal. And for good reason. They develop their own internally.

The transfer portal is the talk of NCAA football every offseason it seems. Coaches move and players follow them. Players don’t feel things are a fit at their current school and leave. Or, you get programs that retain, develop, and go with their guys they know and have bought into. That is what Iowa does.

The Iowa Hawkeyes were the least active Big Ten team in the transfer portal this offseason, as reported by The Gazette’s John Steppe. There was one player that joined the Hawkeyes through the transfer portal this offseason and that was Steven Stilianos, a tight end coming from FCS school Lafayette.

Stilianos makes up one player, or 0.97% of transfers in the Big Ten. Iowa doesn’t use the portal. They develop their guys and they do so very, very well. Iowa has a strong culture, a rich history of turning unheralded recruits into college stars and NFL talents.

Iowa’s defensive line coach provided a great quote to their strategy surrounding their philosophy to filling gaps that arise.

“Is there somebody here? He may be in another position room,” Bell said in a June episode of The Gazette’s Hawk Off the Press podcast. “I’m going to check that before I check the portal because if he’s in the building, that kid understands the culture. If he’s in the building, that transition would be seamless.”

With their success and development, another reason for the lack of transfers joining the Iowa program is simply due to the experience already on the roster. With many upperclassmen starting, contributing, and helping win, the Hawkeyes don’t need to go away from what is clearly working.

Since the NCAA Transfer Portal originated in October of 2018, Iowa has won 73% of their games over the last four seasons with two 10-win seasons in there.

As Steppe discussed, the transfer portal can be a case of the grass not always being greener. Of those entering the portal, 42% of them are stuck without a new home, didn’t return to their original school, and many have given up scholarships.

Former quarterback Deuce Hogan gave up his Iowa scholarship when entering the transfer portal and is one of those individuals who was lucky enough to find a new home. Yet, he is now a walk-on, a steep price to pay in the transfer portal.

Luckily, the Iowa Hawkeyes have found success internally, moving guys around, growing them, and developing them into Big Ten football players. With their track record speaking for itself, don’t expect or think the Hawkeyes need to get their hands in the mess that the transfer portal is.

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3-star EDGE Kenneth Merrieweather commits to Iowa, becomes 16th 2023 pledge

Kenneth Merrieweather, a three-star 2023 EDGE out of Detroit, Mich., committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes, becoming the 16th pledge in 2023.

Iowa and defensive line coach Kelvin Bell added another talented piece to its defensive line, earning a commitment from class of 2023 EDGE Kenneth Merrieweather out of Martin Luther King High School in Detroit, Mich. The decision from Merrieweather is sure to delight Hawkeye defensive coordinator Phil Parker as well.

“First I want to thank god for everything he has done for me in this process. I want to thank all family, friends and coaches who supported me throughout the way. I appreciate every coach and trainers who helped me get developed on every level to reach the dream I always wanted to live. Thanks to every school who gave me an opportunity. I’m just a kid from the eastside trying to make it!! Let’s keep it black and gold💛🖤 COMMITTED!!!” Merrieweather wrote in his Instagram announcement.

The 6-foot-3, 245 pound Merrieweather is rated as a three-star commit by 247Sports, On3 and Rivals. According to 247Sports, Merrieweather is the nation’s No. 50 EDGE and the No. 14 player from Michigan. In the 247Sports composite rankings, Merrieweather checks in as the No. 892 player nationally, the No. 75 EDGE and the No. 16 player from Michigan.

On3 ranks Merrieweather as the No. 75 EDGE in the 2023 class and the No. 15 player from Michigan. In the On3 consensus rankings, Merrieweather is the No. 852 player nationally, the No. 66 EDGE and the No. 18 player from Michigan. Lastly, according to Rivals, Merrieweather is the No. 18 player from Michigan in the 2023 class.

He chose the Hawkeyes over fellow finalist Purdue. Some of Merrieweather’s other notable offers included Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Oregon, Pittsburgh and Syracuse.

Now, Merrieweather joins a defensive line class for Iowa that also features three-star EDGE Chase Brackney out of Cherry Creek High School in Colorado, three-star defensive lineman Maddux Borcherding-Johnson out of Norwalk High School in Iowa and three-star EDGE David Caulker of North High School in Des Moines.

Prior to Merrieweather’s commitment, the Hawkeyes’ 2023 class was rated as the No. 16 class nationally by Rivals, the No. 18 class by 247Sports, and the No. 22 class by On3. With those respective team rankings, Iowa has the No. 4 class among Big Ten teams across each of the three ranking services.

Here’s a look at Merrieweather’s junior season Hudl highlights at Martin Luther King High School, a peek into his full recruiting profile and Iowa’s complete list of 2023 commits.

How it played out with the Hawkeyes: Top 25 all-time Iowa football recruits per 247Sports

Kadyn Proctor just became Iowa’s highest-rated all-time commit in the 247Sports composite rankings. Who else comprises the Hawkeyes’ top 25?

Iowa landed a huge recruiting win by earning a commitment from five-star, in-state offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor out of Southeast Polk High School in Des Moines.

The Hawkeyes held off Alabama in Proctor’s final two and also won out over schools such as Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oregon, Penn State, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and USC.

According to ESPN, Proctor is the nation’s No. 6 player in the 2023 class and the No. 2 offensive tackle. Rivals also ranks Proctor as five-star commit, the nation’s No. 14 player overall, and the top offensive tackle.

Meanwhile, On3 and 247Sports both list Proctor as a four-star commit. According to 247Sports, Proctor is the nation’s No. 7 player overall and the top offensive tackle. On3 ranks Proctor as the No. 31 player nationally and the No. 4 offensive tackle. However, he is rated as a five-star commit in both the 247Sports composite rankings and the On3 consensus rankings.

In the process, the 6-foot-7, 330 pound tackle becomes Iowa’s highest all-time commit in the 247Sports composite rankings. The commitment from Proctor also continues a recent uptick in the Hawkeyes’ recruiting over the past several classes.

A look at Iowa’s top 25 all-time commits according to the 247Sports composite rankings illustrates that point. Four of the Hawkeyes’ top 25 commits since the year 2000 are from either the 2022, 2023 or 2024 classes.

In addition to Proctor, who joins him on Iowa’s top 25 all-time commits list per the 247Sports composite rankings since the year 2000? Let’s take a look below.

Iowa Hawkeyes make top 4 for 2023 DL target Kendrick Gilbert

The Iowa Hawkeyes find themselves as one of the final four choices for talented 2023 defensive lineman Kendrick Gilbert.

Class of 2023 defensive line target Kendrick Gilbert out of Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, Ind., released his final four schools and Iowa made the cut. The Hawkeyes are joined by LSU, Kentucky and Purdue.

Gilbert was on hand this past weekend for Iowa’s biggest recruiting weekend of the year. The 6-foot-5, 270 pound defensive lineman took official visits to Purdue on June 3, LSU on June 10, Kentucky on June 17 and Iowa on June 24.

It makes sense that those four comprise Gilbert’s final four choices. The Hawkeyes have been involved in Gilbert’s recruitment from the start, extending Gilbert both his first offer overall and first Power Five offer on March 29, 2021. Now, it looks like the Hawkeyes will be in the race until the finish.

According to Rivals, On3 and ESPN, Gilbert is a four-star recruit. Rivals ranks Gilbert as the nation’s No. 181 player overall, the No. 17 strong side defensive end and the No. 2 player from Indiana.

On3 rates Gilbert as the country’s No. 251 player nationally, the No. 33 defensive lineman and the No. 3 prospect from Indiana. ESPN lists Gilbert as  the No. 21 defensive tackle in the 2023 class and the No. 4 player from Indiana.

Meanwhile, 247Sports rates Gilbert as a three-star recruit, the No. 73 defensive lineman and the No. 11 player from Indiana in the 2023 class. The 247Sports composite rankings have Gilbert as a four-star recruit, the No. 300 player nationally, the No. 44 defensive lineman and the No. 4 prospect from Indiana.

According to the On3 consensus rankings, Gilbert is a four-star recruit, the No. 364 player nationally, the No. 45 defensive lineman and the No. 4 player from Indiana.

Here’s a look at Gilbert’s junior season Hudl highlights at Cathedral High School, his full recruiting profile and a look at the Hawkeyes’ current list of 2023 commits.

Kenneth Merrieweather grabs third 247Sports crystal ball prediction to the Iowa Hawkeyes

247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong put in the third crystal ball prediction for 2023 EDGE Kenneth Merrieweather to the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Steve Wiltfong, 247Sports’ director of football recruiting, submitted the third crystal ball prediction for class of 2023 EDGE Kenneth Merrieweather to commit to the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Merrieweather was on hand for the Hawkeyes’ big recruiting weekend and apparently the intel Wiltfong heard coming out of the weekend was enough to swing the pendulum in Iowa’s direction. According to 247Sports, Merrieweather’s top two choices are Iowa and Purdue. That duo is listed as “warm” in his interests section.

Wiltfong joins fellow 247Sports colleagues Allen Trieu and Sean Bock of HawkeyeInsider as experts that have crystal ball predictions in for Merrieweather to the Hawkeyes. Trieu submitted his crystal ball prediction on April 24 and Bock submitted his on April 28.

The fact that Wiltfong felt ready to join those two projections following Merrieweather’s official visit to Iowa seems significant. In addition to Iowa and Purdue, Merrieweather also holds Power Five offers from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Oregon, Pittsburgh, and Syracuse.

According to 247Sports, the 6-foot-3, 235 pound EDGE out of Martin Luther King High School in Detroit, Mich., is a three-star recruit, the No. 50 EDGE and the No. 14 player from Michigan. On3 rates Merrieweather as a three-star talent, the No. 75 EDGE and the No. 15 player from Michigan.

Over the weekend, both Tom Kakert and Blair Sanderson of Rivals put in FutureCasts for Merrieweather to Iowa as well. According to Rivals, Merrieweather is a three-star recruit and the No. 18 player from Michigan.

Thanks to recent June commitments from offensive tackles Trevor Lauck and Cannon Leonard, running back Kendrick Raphael and EDGE David Caulker, the Hawkeyes currently own the nation’s No. 17 recruiting class according to 247Sports and the No. 20 class according to Rivals.

Here’s a look at Merrieweather’s junior season Hudl highlights at Martin Luther King High School, a glance at his full recruiting profile and the Hawkeyes’ entire list of 2023 commits.