Deontae Craig gets first look at Iowa

Highly recruited defensive end Deontae Craig had a chance to make his first trip to Iowa for his official visit with the Hawkeyes this past weekend. For the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Fort Wayne native, it was good to finally see the campus after talking about it with lead recruiter Kelvin Bell for some time now.

“I loved it,” said Craig. “It was my best visit yet. I’ve been trying to get out there for a long time, but my schedule has been kind of tight so it’s been hard, but luckily I found an opening and got to go out there.”

“I talked with all of the coaches a lot, got a lot of information on the academics, and hung out with the guys after we got done with everything,” Craig said. “I really got to see everything. It was fun.”

Craig’s host for the weekend was Tyrone Tracy, who he used to play AAU basketball with, and overall the three-star prospect felt like he fit in pretty well at Iowa.

“The players were very welcoming and we had a really good time,” said Craig. “I definitely felt comfortable with them.”

The trip also gave Craig a chance to meet the rest of the Iowa coaching staff, including head coach Kirk Ferentz and defensive coordinator Phil Parker, after hearing good things from Kelvin Bell.

“It was really good getting to know the coaches because that was my first time out there meeting all of them,” Craig said. “Coach Bell and I have talked a lot before and he’s told me that they opportunity that I’d have coming there with good, stable coaching staff and playing in the Big Ten is a good situation.”

With Iowa landing a couple more defensive end commits this past weekend, Iowa’s recruiting class is filling up fast, but Craig said there is still a spot available for him if he decides to go there.

"Coach Bell really wants me there and said he’s willing to hold a spot for me, so I let him know how appreciative I was of that,” said Craig. “That’s where it is right now."

After taking official visits to Iowa and Indiana this month, as well as one to Tennessee in April, Craig plans to use the July dead period to start taking a closer look at his options. In May, he named a top eight of Iowa, Indiana, Tennessee, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue, and Northwestern.

"Next up for me is the dead period, so I’m going to think things over and just take it one day at a time and see what happens,” Craig said. “Obviously I’ll start having some conversations with my coaches and my family and just talk about all of the schools and where I might fit in the best, but right now I’m just taking it one day at a time. I’m going to keep working out and trying to get ready for the season and take it from there."