Deshaun Lee looking forward to signing day

Deshaun Lee saw his recruitment take a few twists and turns along the way, but ultimately he is very happy where it ended up. That is with a full ride scholarship offer to play for the Iowa Hawkeyes, who will officially sign the 5-foot-10, 175-pound Lee to a national letter of intent on Wednesday.

"Signing day means a lot to me," said Lee. "Once I sign, everything is official and I can release some stress off my shoulders. I'm also very happy and excited to find a place to call home for the next couple years, plus Iowa is a great place with great coaches and a great program so I'm really looking forward to my future at Iowa."

A playmaking receiver, cornerback, and returner at powerhouse Belleville High School in Michigan, Lee saw his recruiting start off with offers from Kentucky and Central Michigan his sophomore year. That was followed by offers from Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Akron, and Bowling Green as a junior, but the three-star prospect stayed patient with the recruiting process and took it into his senior year.

"I didn’t want to rush anything with a school and regret my decision, so I took the chance of waiting and seeing who would recruit me the hardest and choosing a place I could visit before I commit," Lee said.

After his senior season, there was interest from three new schools, which were Iowa, Wisconsin, and Washington.

"I took the gamble of waiting and and the outcome was great," said Lee.

Ultimately, it was Iowa that showed the most interest and invited Lee to campus for an official visit this past weekend, which is when they extended the scholarship offer.

"It was an unreal feeling," Lee said. "Iowa has been one of my favorite teams since I was little. Now I’m getting the chance to play there, so it’s really a blessing for me. I thank God for this opportunity and I’m going to make the best of it."

Lee has grown up following Iowa not only because Belleville graduates Kaevon Merriweather and Brenden Deasfernandes are on the team, but also the Detroit area players that came before them including All-American Desmond King, who his uncle was a big fan of and so he was as well.

"It was mainly because of my uncle," said Lee. "He really liked Iowa and we would watch their games, so I grew to like them. Also, the defensive backs to come out of Iowa remind me of myself a little, so that played a part as well. I look up to people like Desmond King."

Overall, Lee is the 18th recruit for Iowa in the Class of 2022 and the first addition since the early signing period in December.

As a senior, he finished the season with 22 solo tackles, two interceptions, and one fumble recovery for a touchdown on defense plus 804 yards on offense and 11 touchdowns for Belleville.

See highlights from Lee's senior year in the video below.