Swinney very interested in Iowa

With a family connection to the University of Iowa, Class of 2021 offensive lineman Bastian Swinney has a keen interest in the Hawkeyes. That made Saturday night's visit to watch the Hawkeyes play Penn State under the lights at Kinnick Stadium even more special for the 6-foot-6, 270-pound Minnesota native.

"I have grown up watching Iowa," said Swinney. "My grandfather, who recently passed away, was an Iowa alumni. I remember whenever I was with him on the weekends he would always have the Hawkeye games on."

Swinney, who attended Iowa's camp in June, arrived early on Saturday, which gave him another opportunity to tour the facilities and look around campus.

"To begin my visit, I checked in with the staff, then headed over to the practice field to have some lunch," Swinney said. "Then we went to the weight room for a short speech and then headed to the team room for a presentation. After that, we went to the field to watch warm-ups as well as the game."

The Class of 2021 prospect was also able to catch up with the Iowa coaching staff including lead recruiter Tim Polasek, who is watching his progress at Edina High School closely this fall.

"I got to continue my connection with Coach Polasek," said Swinney. "I’ve known him for around a year now and our conversations are always positive. We both have similar mindsets of always wanting to work. I really enjoy the relationship I’ve built with him."

Despite Iowa's 17-12 loss to Penn State on Saturday night, Swinney said he was impressed by the Hawkeyes and the overall game day atmosphere at Kinnick Stadium.

"It was amazing," Swinney said. "I love it more and more every time I go down there."

"My game day impression was that it gets live at Kinnick," Swinney said. "The fans are so loud and really get rowdy, so it’s lots of fun to watch."

Currently, Swinney holds scholarship offers from Iowa State, Kansas, and Kansas State, and has several more schools, like Iowa, staying in close contact this fall as they follow his progress.

"Coach Polasek wants to see how I perform the rest of the season before he makes a decision," said Swinney.

Up next for the Class of 2021 prospect will be a PAC-12 visit next week followed by a couple more trips around the Midwest this fall.

"I visit Cal-Berkeley this upcoming weekend," said Swinney. "I’ll also be visiting Kansas State, Notre Dame, as well as Minnesota."