Barnes looks at Iowa's 2019 class

As part of our traditional signing day coverage, we sat down with Iowa's Director of Recruiting, Tyler Barnes, to discuss the new group of Hawkeyes, the lessons learned with the new early visits, and what positions Iowa may be looking to add more prospects at heading into Febuary's signing day.

Q: This is the second year of the early signing period, but it’s the first with the earlier visit in the spring. What did you learn from that?

BARNES: With the early signing period, we have always had guys that were ready to get it over with, so it works out well for them. With the early visits, we learned a lot from that. We actually enjoyed the summer visits. Initially we said we weren’t going to do them and then we visited as a staff and figured that since we didn’t have game prep, bowl prep, or anything else, that summer actually works out well. The guys are around and they have more free time and you get a chance to really enhance those relationships with the guys on campus or the guys on the visits with them.

I think 14 of our original 17 commits were on their official visit that weekend and had a great visit. Our players did a great job that weekend. Our staff did a job with them and the players had a great chance to develop a bond over that 48 hour period. That was in June so they have a real head start at getting to know each other and putting faces with names. I thought that really helped build a bond for this year’s group.

I think for the most part it’s been really positive. We are still learning as we go since it’s the first year.

Q: So it seems like you will continue with the earlier visits in the late spring this coming year?

BARNES: I think so, yeah.

Q: Maybe some for the spring game?

BARNES: We will talk about that as it gets closer. We haven’t really sat down as a staff and decided whether we went to do the spring game or later in the spring. We always like to run it up close to the start of the dead period because we know when the heavy commitment time usually is and you see a lot of guys deciding in late June and early July.

Given the results last year and the success of the weekend, I don’t see us going away from the summer plan.

Q: It seemed like you guys had to do some adjusting as far as the position needs in this class. What you thought you might need in August, might have grown at some positions in November. Probably like TE, where you thought Fant could potentially go, but you didn’t think Hockenson would have a decision in August and now he has one in December. How have you adjust?

BARNES: Really you have to adjust every year. We sit down initially as a staff and talk about our goals and our numbers as a staff as far as needs, it’s never going to be concrete. There’s always going to attrition, injuries, positions switches, or guys leaving early for the draft. Coach Ferentz always says it best every week that we need to have some depth on our recruiting board. We really did have that depth this year.

At running back for example, we had Tyler Goodson commit early on and we were going to take one running back. Then we had someone leave our program at the position, so we have to adjust our needs there. Since we had injury issues there as well during the season, we talked as a staff and decided it would be best if we went out and found a second running back. Now we have a second running back.

At tight end, we were always going to take two tight ends in this class. With Noah leaving early, it forced us to look at taking a third tight end in this class. We really didn’t have a scholarship tight end last year, so really we did need to build some depth at that position this year. Sam LaPorta was a guy who was at our camp this summer and did a really good job, but we didn’t know if we were going to get to a third tight end. When we decided to do that, we revisited our list and he was a guy that Brian Ferentz had seen during the contact period and we liked this makeup and characteristics because they were similar to guys we had here before and felt really good about our three Illinois tight ends. Last time we took three tight ends was Beyer, Hock, and Fant, so we hope this will be a repeat.

Q: You mentioned Goodson being one of the early guys. You brought him in for his official visit for the spring game, your first early official visitor. He ends up working out, but his recruitment was interesting from a decision perspective in June.

BARNES: Yeah it was. First, Coach Foster did a great job with Tyler all the way through his recruitment. He initially identified him and then got him to come to campus. We knew after the visit that we had a pretty good chance to land him, but we just didn’t know when that would be. Then things shifted and we went from planning to take two running backs to just one. We let Tyler and a couple of other running backs know that things changed and it would be one spot. That might change later on, but right now it’s one spot.

A few weeks later he committed. We actually had him silently committed for a couple of weeks because he had a planned announcement in July. We were really excited about getting him. He’s a really mature kid and a great guy to be around. He has a great personality and he works his tail off. He was an extremely productive running back at a very good high school program. We knew when he committed that he would have other schools make a run at him. I was actually at Brian Ferentz house with Coach Foster when Tyler played his first game of the year. It was on TV and we were watching and just started laughing because I knew that we were going to have to really fight to keep this kid because he’s really good.

Schools called and stopped by and he and his family were completely open and honest the whole time. They would let us know which coaches were stopping by to visit and the whole time it always ended with we are good and don’t worry I am not going anywhere. We really appreciated that open communication and honesty because you don’t always get that. It just showed that we were in on the right young man and a lot of credit to Coach Foster for building that relationship.

Q: When the Goodson’s call and say, Jim Harbaugh met with us, did your heart skip a beat? The Higdon memories start rushing back?

BARNES: No, because I wasn’t here four years ago when that happened with Higdon, but again, with the honesty that they showed during the entire process, we weren’t worried. Do you lose a few minutes sleep over it? Maybe, but this time of year it’s always crazy. He is the type of kid that took a lot of visits before he decided and saw a lot of places, but when he committed he said he was done and he stayed true to his word.

Q: A guy you never had to lose sleep over is Ezra Miller. He’s kind of the foundation of the class as the first commit and he made a record number of visits to Iowa during his recruitment.

BARNES: The best thing about Ezra is he’s one of those guys that just wants to be a Hawkeye. He knew he was destined to be a Hawkeye. He might have committed three or four months earlier than he did if we would have let him. We wanted to make sure he was making the right decision and told him to take his time.

We have had him on campus after his freshman year for a camp. We all kind of laughed at that freshman camp because he was dominating people and said maybe we should have him come to another camp because he was so good and did the same thing against even better competition.

He was coming down here and driving four plus hours each way to get here each and every time. To do that more than 30 times is quite a commitment. He comes from a great family. His parents are great people and once he committed, Ezra was texting me asking which guys he needed to start working on to get him to join him in this class. It’s great to have him as one of the foundational guys in this class.

Q: It seems like it’s always going to be important from your guys to have Iowa guys along the line. You have three in this class.

BARNES: They grew up watching Iowa football and know what it’s about. They know what our offensive line tradition is. Ezra came to some of the strength camps and knows what Coach Doyle is about. It’s nice to have the Iowa guys who are around a lot because they know and understand what they are getting into here when they arrive on campus. It will be good to get him here next month.

Q: One guy that you did have a late challenge to keep was Jestin Jacobs. What was that like for you guys trying to hold on to him when Ohio State made their offer and their late push? You had the no visit policy, but is it fair to say that the policy is on a case by case basis and it’s not black and white?

BARNES: Yeah, it is case by case. We are always going to revisit everything we do after the season and we will go over every aspect of recruiting. Are we recruiting the right kids? Are we doing things the right way? We will talk about all of it and we will come back to doing what’s best for us.

With Jestin, it’s a real credit to Coach Bell and Coach Wallace. It was Coach Bell who found him early on and he was initially the lead recruiter before Coach Wallace stepped in along with Coach Parker. Those guys did an unbelievable job recruiting him and developing that relationship. Jestin is a really smart kid, mature, and sincere.

He actually kind of caught us off guard when he committed. We felt good about getting him, but we didn’t think it was going to happen as soon as it did. His tune never changed at all once he committed. He said that the relationship with Coach Bell, Coach Wallace, and Coach Parker and what your program stands for fits my vision. We knew that if Ohio State would come calling that it might get tricky. We had a feeling they would come calling because he’s a heck of a player. When they did there was some worry, but Jestin was completely open and honest about everything during the process. All the way through he kept telling us he was a Hawkeye and that he was coming. It will be good to get him here early next month.

Q: Was Daraun McKinney the always late Phil Parker guy that he kind of stashes away for the final week of recruiting?

BARNES: He was. There’s one every year. It’s funny because we will go over the recruiting board with Coach Ferentz and he always jokes that Phil will always bring up his guy the week before signing day. It happens almost every year.

Phil actually saw Daraun in the spring and then he went out and saw him in the fall. He really liked he attacked everything on the field. Daraun had just shy of 20 kickoff and punt returns in his high school career, which is pretty hard to do in the return game. Really mature kid with a great demeanor and a good personality. He’s a lot like other guys who have been successful in our program. So, we knew about him for a while, but if we offer in the fall, you know how it goes, everyone else jumps in on him. So we have to keep them stashed for a reason. He will be here in January and we are excited to get him here. Hopefully he follows in the tradition of the other Phil Parker specials.

Q: How did you guys find Yahweh Jeudy? Was he a guy you went hard after the coach change at Kansas State?

BARNES: He has been our board since the spring and that was Coach Copeland on him. We had always planned on taking a third linebacker after we had Jack Campbell and Jestin. Coach Copeland would keep bringing him up and say that this kid is exactly who we are. He’s a great kid and mature beyond his years. We had a chance during the last contact period to send Coach Wallace and Coach Parker down to see him for the first time and they were blown away by the type of young man he is. So we got him on the visit and it was a great fit. With all of our spots, we aren’t in any rush. We have to do our due diligence, ask the right questions, and find the right guys. We are slower than some people would like us to be, but it’s all very calculated and he’s another example of it.

Q: Two of my favorite guys in this class are Jack Campbell and Sebastian Castro. They just really kind of fit the profile of Iowa players on defense.

BARNES: They both play the game relentlessly and they are fun to watch. Jack is awesome. He’s a beast on the football field. We were watching him in the semifinal game at state and I swear he had like 30 tackles in that game. He was everywhere and in on every play. He’s is a classic Iowa linebacker. He’s generally a quiet kid who is soft spoken, but when he is playing he plays with bad intentions. Great family and his dad played at UNI. It will be exciting to get him here because we were very high on him during the entire process.

Brian Ferentz was the lead recruiter on Sebastian. We had known about him for a couple of years when he was playing quarterback and safety for his high school team. He was kind of a do it all type of player, like a Micah Hyde type player. He had a great junior year, but his senior year was even better on film. He really stepped his game up. He’s pretty quiet off the field, but put him on the field and he’s a completely different guy. If you talk to coach around the area about both of these guys it’s the same thing. With Campbell, the coaches around the state just love him. Same thing with Castro, they just talk about how he is all over the field making plays. They might not have had a lot of fanfare, but we are really excited about both guys. They really fit who we are, smart, tough, and physical guys who love the game.

Q: Have to ask about your quarterback, Alex Padilla. He’s another one who gets the big offer this fall from Georgia and never wavers. What did you see in him because you are sorting through a lot of guys in the spring?

BARNES: With quarterbacks it’s a little different because we will go coast to coast for them, if we find the right guy. I have to give credit to Josh Sinagoga, who is a graduate assistant that joined us this year. He brought up Padilla and discovered him and had a relationship with him prior to coming here. We got him into camp and Coach O’Keefe had a chance to sit down with him and his dad, who played quarterback at Colorado State. He is extremely smart and really impressed Coach O’Keefe with his knowledge of the game. Then physically, he could do everything we asked him to do. If he’s 6-3 or 6-4, he has every program in the country after him. We aren’t as worried about the size. He’s a quiet and humble kid off the field, but a fearless leader and competitor on the field. He was a three year starter and captain at a powerhouse program in the Denver area and it’s hard to be a three year captain at a school like that.

When Georgia came calling that one scared me a little bit, but he and his family quickly put that one to bed. They are great people and they were very honest and said they weren’t going anywhere. They said you were our first big offer and we are excited to get him here in January. He and Jestin are going to be roommates.

Q: Most of the year when we would ask about the number for his class it was always mid to maybe high teens. Then you end up at 20 in December. What’s the outlook going into the February signing day?

BARNES: Maybe two or three more. A couple of defensive guys and maybe the best available. Coach Ferentz does a really good job of keeping one or two open for any good senior film that might pop up. It’s hard to believe but it happens. It’s always kind of fluid and we will see what happens and go from there.

Q: Are you thinking defensive line and defensive back?

BARNES: Yeah, I think one defensive lineman and one defensive back. That’s kind of the thought process, but that could always shift.