COMMIT: Iowa Lands First 2025 Recruit, Lineman Joey VanWetzinga
Iowa football has its first commit in the 2025 recruiting class.
Joey VanWetzinga out of Pleasant Valley High School in Bettendorf, Iowa, announced his decision to be a Hawkeye via Twitter on Saturday.
VanWetzinga's first and only reported offer came from Iowa, though he had reported interest from Missouri, Wisconsin, Iowa State and Illinois.
When the offer came following his participation in one of Iowa's summer prospect camps, VanWetzinga couldn't believe it.
"I'm thrilled, man" he said. "I'm thrilled it was from the University of Iowa. I wasn't expecting that. When I was little, all I knew about college football had to do with the Iowa Hawkeyes, so it's a dream come true for me."
Though the offer was a happy surprise, VanWetzinga was initially inclined to wait on a decision.
"It's awesome to get the offer so early," he added. "But I think right now I really want to focus on being the best player I can for my junior year before I even look at my options. But I could see [committing to Iowa] as a possibility at the end of my junior season. If I really like Iowa, I could commit."
Apparently, he really liked Iowa. Having his older brother already on campus probably helped a bit there. Rusty, a preferred walk-on fullback in the 2023 class, arrived on campus a few weeks ago to start summer work.
"I grew up playing football with Rusty," VantWetzinga said. "He was really a leader on the field and he really got on me when I missed plays and stuff. He'd help me get focused. I think it'd be a really neat experience to go play college football with him."
Rusty was happy to hear the news, too.
"He was tearing up a little bit when I told him," the rising junior said. "He was proud. He's had a good experience so far at Iowa. They're working him hard. It's good."
A two-way player in the trenches for the Spartans, VanWetzinga is being recruited as a defensive tackle by the Hawkeyes, but there's a possibility he could play on the offensive side of the ball, too.
"Right now, they want me at defensive line," he said. "They said that could change, based on where they need me, but I'd pick D-Line. I think in college I'd be more inclined to play there, but they could see me as a center, too."
Premium subscribers to Go Iowa Awesome knew about VanWetzinga's incoming commitment early this week.