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Hawks wrapping up well-rounded class

By Don Doxsie | 2 comment(s)

Iowa City High’s A.J. Derby, according to Allen Wallace of Superprep.com, is a versatile player who views himself as a quarterback but could end up contributing at other positions. (Rivals.com photo)

The Iowa football program really was ahead of the game in this recruiting season.

Of the 20 players who are expected to sign letters of intent with Iowa on Wednesday, 14 took their official visits to the Iowa campus after announcing their plans to sign with the Hawkeyes.

Solon, Iowa, linebacker James Morris committed more than two years ago, during his sophomore year of high school, but he didn't make his official visit until last weekend.

A few players, including Morris, made early decisions because of family ties to the Iowa program. But for the most part, the early commitments are evidence that coach Kirk Ferentz and his staff did a good job of identifying who they wanted very early and delivering effective sales pitches even before many of the prospects got a glimpse of the campus.

"Iowa has a really great class," said Scout.com's Allen Trieu, assessing the 20 players the Hawkeyes plan to sign Wednesday. "I know for the people who look at just the star ratings, it's easy to see C.J. Fiedorowicz and Andrew Donnal, the two four-star kids, as the ones to be excited about in this class, but there are some lower-ranked guys who I think will be great players as well."

This is pretty much a typical Iowa class. There are no five-star recruits in the group and a smattering of two-star guys who didn't have many offers from Big Ten caliber programs.

The crop currently is rated the 39th best recruiting class in the country by Rivals.com and it's No. 41 on the Scout.com list. It's either fifth or sixth in the Big Ten, depending on what scouting Web site you consult.

It doesn't have the star quality of the 2005 class, which was rated 11th by Rivals and eighth by Scout, but that class didn't necessarily produce better results than other Iowa recruiting classes anyway.

Over the past eight years of national rankings by Rivals and Scout, Iowa's average national finish is 40th.

That's right where it was on both lists in 2006, when it brought in a group that included 11 players who were starters last season, including Ricky Stanzi, Adrian Clayborn, A.J. Edds and Amari Spievey.

The 2004 crop was similar - 41st by Scout, 38th by Rivals. It included seven players who began this season employed by NFL teams - Seth Olsen, Charles Godfrey, Bradley Fletcher, Shonn Greene, Brandon Myers, Mitch King and Matt Kroul.

Jeremy Crabtree, national recruiting expert for Rivals, said the current group is more of the same, calling it "one of the more well-rounded groups in the Big Ten."

"What I also like about this class is the athletes in the group," Crabtree said. "There are several kids that could easily project at a number of different positions and are just flat-out darned good football players. I think that's also another overwhelming theme with this Iowa group.

"While there aren't a ton of four- or five-star recruits in the group, each one individually are tremendous football players that I think are what coach Ferentz and his staff want. They're all intelligent, football IQ kids, and they should help the Hawks continue to be one of the best programs in the conference."

The one difference this time is that this class came together a little earlier than some of the previous ones did. In addition to Morris' commitment late in 2007, the Hawkeyes added two commitments in April, one in May, three in June, two in July, three in August, two in September and three in October.

There have been only a few tweaks since then. Fiedorowicz, regarded by some as the best tight end prospect in the country, backed out of a commitment to Illinois and announced in late November that he would sign with Iowa.

"Pulling Fiedorowicz away from Illinois was big," Trieu said. "He fits what the Hawkeyes like to do and he has a chance to be an early contributor."

Defensive end Matt Hoch of Harlan, Iowa, reneged on his commitment to the Hawkeyes in December and decided to join his brother at Missouri. However, the Hawks added Detroit-area wide receiver Kevonte Martin-Manley to their list that same day and last week also added safety Anthony Hitchens of Lorain, Ohio.

They have 20 players lined up and ready to sign Wednesday with possibly one or two more late additions.

"Fiedorowicz, in particular, looks to be a dominant athlete, while the versatile (A.J.) Derby views himself as a quarterback but could end up contributing at other positions," said Allen Wallace of Superprep.com. "The Hawkeyes also look strong with their defensive line and linebacker commitments ... Iowa appears to be well-entrenched in the middle of the Big Ten in this year's recruiting derby."

And that's just where the Hawkeyes seem to like it.

Inside job?

Iowa's efforts in bringing in the 2010 recruiting class were enhanced by previous ties to some of the recruits.

n James Morris' father, Greg, is the Hawkeyes' longtime equipment manager.

n A.J. Derby's father, John, was a star linebacker for the Hawkeyes in the 1980s, and A.J.'s brother, Zach, already is on the roster.

n Carl Davis is the nephew of former Iowa assistant basketball coach Rich Walker, who still works for the university.

n C.J. Fiedorowicz's sister played AAU basketball with the sister of Tony Moeaki, the player he hopes to replace at tight end.

n Biff Poggi, high school coach of both Jim Poggi (his son) and Travis Ferguson, coached Brian Ferentz at Gilman High School when the Ferentz family lived in Baltimore in the 1990s.

n Marcus Coker's high school coach, Bill McGregor, is from the same area as Kirk Ferentz and attended the same college (John Carroll University) as Iowa offensive coordinator Ken O'Keefe.

Comes in pairs

The Iowa recruiting class includes two ... 

- players named Johnson

- players from Hazelwood East High School near St. Louis

- players from Gilman High School in Baltimore

- players who are rated the No. 1 prospects in their state (A.J. Derby and Mike Hardy)

- players who are the No. 2 prospects in their state (James Morris and C.J. Fiedorowicz)

- players who led their teams to state titles (Derby and Morris)

- players who were on state runner-up teams (Hardy and Carl Davis)

- players who already have enrolled for the spring semester (Derby and Louis Trinca-Pasat)

Coming attraction

In addition to the players who will sign Wednesday, Iowa also has lined up at least one "grayshirt,'' a player who will wait until next January to enroll in school.

 That would be Jonny Mullings, a left-footed punter who grew up playing rugby in England, attended high school in Ottumwa, Iowa, for a year as a foreign-exchange student, and now lives in Canberra, Australia.

Mullings, 21, averaged 45.1 yards per punt for his team in Australia last season and reportedly once launched an 85-yarder in a junior varsity game while living in Ottumwa.

IOWA'S PROJECTED RECRUITING CLASS

Marcus Coker

Pos. Ht. Wt. 40 time Hometown (School)

RB 6-0 222 4.55 Hyattsville, Md. (DeMatha)

Note: Averaged 213 yards per game and scored 17 TDs in six games before being injured.

Carl Davis

Pos. Ht. Wt. 40 time Hometown (School)

DT 6-5 300 5.0 Sterling Heights, Mich. (Adlai Stevenson)

Note: Surprisingly athletic big man who frequently dunks in high school basketball games.

A.J. Derby

Pos. Ht. Wt. 40 time Hometown (School)

QB 6-4 218 4.88 Iowa City (City High)

Note: No. 1-rated prospect in Iowa, Class 4A player of the year after leading team to state title.

Andrew Donnal

Pos. Ht. Wt. 40 time Hometown (School)

OL 6-7 285 4.91 Whitehouse, Ohio (Anthony Wayne)

Note: Had offers from most of Big Ten; one of three Iowa recruits to play in U.S. Army All-Star game.

Anthony Ferguson

Pos. Ht. Wt. 40 time Hometown (School)

DT 6-2 280 5.0 Baltimore, Md. (Gilman)

Note: Chose Hawkeyes over Penn State; quickly committed after teammate Jim Poggi did.

C.J. Fiedorowicz

Pos. Ht. Wt. 40 time Hometown (School)

TE 6-7 240 4.55 Johnsburg, Ill.

Note: Originally committed to Illinois; one of top five tight end prospects in nation.

Austin Gray

Pos. Ht. Wt. 40 time Hometown (School)

LB 6-2 220 4.6 Warren, Mich. (Fitzgerald)

Note: Missed senior season with knee injury, but ranked among top 15 linebackers in nation.

Mike Hardy

Pos. Ht. Wt. 40 time Hometown (School)

DE 6-5 260 5.0 Appleton, Wis. (Kimberly)

Note: Rated No. 1 prospect in state of Wisconsin; led team to second-place finish in state.

Anthony Hitchens

Pos. Ht. Wt. 40 time Hometown (School)

DB 6-1 195 4.5 Lorain, Ohio (Clearview)

Note: Rushed for 1,428 yards and 21 TDs; had 76 tackles and two interceptions.

De'Andre Johnson

Pos. Ht. Wt. 40 time Hometown (School)

RB 5-8 210 4.46 Miami, Fla. (Monsignor Pace)

Note: Tore ACL in the second game of his senior season and underwent surgery Oct. 7.

Donavan Johnson

Pos. Ht. Wt. 40 time Hometown (School)

DT 6-2 245 5.0 Arlington, Tex. (Martin)

Note: Recruited by schools for both offense and defense; chose Iowa over Nebraska.

Christian Kirksey

Pos. Ht. Wt. 40 time Hometown (School)

ATH 6-2 200 4.5 St. Louis, Mo. (Hazelwood East)

Note: Made 165 tackles while playing linebacker for his high school team last fall.

B.J. Lowery

Pos. Ht. Wt. 40 time Hometown (School)

DB 5-11 175 4.5 Cincinnati, Ohio (Hughes)

Note: Also played quarterback for high school team; considered a pure cover corner.

Kevonte Martin-Manley

Pos. Ht. Wt. 40 time Hometown (School)

WR 6-1 190 4.59 Pontiac, Mich. (Brother Rice)

Note: Averaged 20 yards per punt return; from high school that produced B.J. Armstrong.

James Morris

Pos. Ht. Wt. 40 time Hometown (School)

LB 6-2 215 4.6 Solon, Iowa

Note: No. 2-ranked prospect in Iowa, Class 2A player of the year for three-time state champion.

Jim Poggi

Pos. Ht. Wt. 40 time Hometown (School)

LB 6-2 215 4.6 Baltimore, Md. (Gilman)

Note: High school coach was his father; one of two Gilman players to commit to Iowa.

Brandon Scherff

Pos. Ht. Wt. 40 time Hometown (School)

OL 6-6 295 5.0 Denison, Iowa

Note: Top five in state in both discus and shot put last spring; played QB until junior season.

Don Shumpert

Pos. Ht. Wt. 40 time Hometown (School)

ATH 6-2 185 4.45 St. Louis, Mo. (Hazelwood East)

Note: Expected to play cornerback at Iowa; one of two recruits from Hazelwood East.

Louis Trinca-Pasat

Pos. Ht. Wt. 40 time Hometown (School)

DE 6-3 235 4.7 Chicago (Lane Tech)

Note: Great pass-rushing prospect; already enrolled at Iowa for second semester.

Austin Vier

Pos. Ht. Wt. 40 time Hometown (School)

ATH 6-7 220 4.65 Huxley, Iowa (Ballard)

Note: Played quarterback throughout high school, but likely to be tight end in college.

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