With 21 days until Signing Day, (2/6) Kirk Ferentz and Co. have some work to do with 5 unfilled scholarships at this point.
Before I announce my top 5 wish list at this point, I'd like to comment on the recent performance of 4* WR commit out of Cedar Rapids' Washington High School, Keenan Davis. I was down in Austin this summer when the text message came bearing the news that Keenan Davis had in fact committed to Iowa. Several months later, he participated in the Underarmour All-Star game and practiced all week under the tutelage of Cris Carter.
The following is a summary of KDeezy's performance I stole from a scout's blog:
-Looked fluid running routes.
-Had him playing in the slot says a lot I think...you don't usually have your 6'3 guy in the slot, typically its a smaller quicker route runner to get the hard earned separation in the middle, and out of all these all-stars they thought Keenan was the best option for that role.
-Everyone has been saying he has been going up and getting it better than anyone in practice.
Keenan appears to have a lot of upside and should see considerable playing time in 2009 for the Big Ten Championship Contending Iowa Hawkeyes.
Moving on to my top 5 targets. If we can seal the deal with these guys, the 2009 class will end up very solid.
1. Nolan MacMillan OT 6-6 284 lbs. Princeton,NJ ***
Nasty and quick are words I would use to describe this kid. Although we already have 2 pretty good O-Line commits, both from the state of Iowa, Nolan would project out as the best among them. Kirk recently had an in-home visit and the Hawks are putting the full-court press on this prospect. The main competition comes from Georgia Tech, the only other school he has visited to this point. However the following schools have offered as well:
Boston College,Syracuse,Virginia,Connecticut,Louisville, Michigan State, Rutgers, South Florida
Odds he becomes a hawk: 50%2. Ka'liad Glaud OLB 6-2 217 lbs. Atco,NJ ***
With no current commits from the linebacker position, the acquisition of Ka'liad would provide balance among the classes. Credit the hype surrounding Shonn Greene for Ka'liads interest in the Hawks. He has visited Iowa, Rutgers, West Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina. Other offers include: Lousiville, Pittsburgh, and Tennesee.
Odds he becomes a hawk: 50%3. Justin Brown WR 6-3 209 lbs. Wilmington,DE ****
Rivals #30 WR in the nation
The only reason this kid isn't #1 is that I would be shocked if he committed to Iowa. He had planned to visit BC this weekend but has decided against it after the recent coaching change there. He has already visited Rutgers and Penn St. and has offers from BC, Virginia, Virginia Tech, NC State, Purdue, and Oregon among others. If we aren't able to land Justin, hopefully 3* WR Shawney Kersey takes his place.
EDIT:Kersey committed to PSU shortly after this entry.Odds he becomes a hawk: 20%4. Micah Hyde DB 6-1 170lbs. Fostoria,OH **
He's pictured on the left and this is the only picture I could find of him.
Micah is coming to Iowa next Friday (1/23) for his official visit where it is expected that Kirk Ferentz will present him with an offer letter. His only visit to this point is to Miami (OH) but he has offers from Ball St., Bowling Green, Ohio, and Toledo. I know you're thinking why are we competing with Mac schools? Well, this kid is a dual threat QB in HS, and judging from the pic, has a ways to go in the physical development area. After watching the higlight videos, he is a legit athlete, and should fit in on special teams down the road.
Odds he becomes a hawk: 60%5. Troy Smith DB 5-10 175 lbs. Indianapolis, IN **
No relation to the former O$U QB. He is the definition of a "late-bloomer" as Division I offers did not come pouring in until late in his Senior year. He has already visited Iowa and plans to visit Ball St. and Toledo (the only 2 schools that have offered to this point.) I expect this kid to receive an offer from the Hawks. Unfortunately, due to his late rise, there are no highlights available. Lousiville, NIU, Indiana, and Purdue are all in the mix, but have not offered yet.
Odds he becomes a hawk: 50%Note: This is only at 50% because Iowa has not offered yet.
I will have a full evaluation of the 2009 recruiting class the week of signing day.
One other note I'd like to bring up is the recruitment of 2010 prospect Nile Knapp. His father and coach, Rock, named the Georgia RB after Nile Kinnick. Rock has joined the Hakweye Report message boards and is openly campaigning for the Hawks to give his kid an offer. Kirk Ferentz is a smart man and will not offer until he feels he has to, which may come late in the game.
Here's a highlight video that makes it seem like this kid is a legitimate D1 prosectIn other Hawkeye news....
The guy on the left is transferring to Western or Eastern Illinois. His dad told ESPN that Ken O'Keefe wanted Stanzi as the starter from day 1 in 2009 but Kirk stuck with JC due to loyalty. Here are my final thoughts on JC and I would prefer to never discuss him again, at least in terms of his tenure at Iowa:
-Not a BCS level QB, terrible pocket awareness and little to no accuracy
-Took the demotion like a man, supported Stanzi and the team all year and deserves a ton of credit for doing so
-Has a former NFL QB for a dad that is trying to live vicariously through him
-Deserves credit for the signings of Dan Doering, Tony Moeaki, Dace Richardson, and Ryan Bain.
The basketball team is not doing very well this year. Sure, the loss of leading scorer Anthony Tucker for several games and the devastating injury to senior captain and only legit big man Cyrus Tate hurts,
but Hawkeye fans want better. If you've had a chance to watch any of the home games this year, you would know that nobody cares about this program. However, this week Gary Barta held a press conference during which he offered unconditional support to Todd Lickliter. On a positive note, Gary said that the long overdue practice facility for the basketball program will break ground in the fall. I personally am not ready to fire Lickliter and will continue to support the team hoping for a breakthrough.
