Hawkeyes first to offer 2018 LB
After an impressive performance at Iowa’s camp, Class of 2018 linebacker Mike Bruner was back on campus this weekend for the Hawkeye Tailgater. This time, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Wisconsin native left Iowa City with his first scholarship offer in hand.
“It started out on Friday night when I got to hang out with some of the players and the coaches and they got to know me more on a personal level,” said Bruner. “The coaches also talked to my parents a lot and got to know them too.”
“I felt like the coaches had seen me on film and liked what they saw there, and then saw me perform well at camp, so once they got to know me as a person, everything added up and they liked what I had to offer.”
The actual offer came at the tail end of Bruner’s two-day stay in Iowa City in a meeting with Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz.
“There was a lot of suspense leading up to it just because I was talking to the coaches the whole weekend, but it took until the last five minutes until I was one on one with Coach Ferentz and that’s when he made the offer,” Bruner said. “It was fun. It was a good weekend and it ended up going in the right direction.”
With his first offer on the table, the Class of 2018 prospect says he was momentarily speechless as he soaked it all in.
“It was a really good feeling,” said Bruner. “I didn’t really quite know what to say at first. I was glad Coach Ferentz was doing most of the talking because I was just so overwhelmed that it happened. Iowa is one of my favorite schools that I’ve been looking at and I feel like I fit in really well there.”
The Hawkeyes project Bruner at outside linebacker in college and were impressed with his physicality when they had a chance to see him in person at their camp in June.
“At camp, I feel like when we were doing our drills, I was extremely physical and the coaches always like seeing that,” Bruner said. “Coach Wallace said he loved the physicality that I brought and the intensity and passion that I had.”
Beyond the offer, Bruner says that he enjoyed his weekend as Iowa City as continues to learn more about the Hawkeyes and their program.
“It was a great experience,” said Bruner. “The facilities are just gorgeous. They obviously spent a lot of money on it and I would say it was well worth it. The weight room is insanely big. It’s like 23,000 square feet. Then they’ve got a food shack open all day, so you can go get food right after your workout, which I thought was really nice. Just the overall community of the people down there is really impressive.”
As a sophomore, Bruner helped lead Homestead High School to a state championship in Wisconsin. After honing his skills during camp stops at Iowa, Wisconsin, and Northwestern this summer, he expects an even bigger year as a junior.
“Last year, I thought I did pretty well. I was second or third on the team in tackles and we obviously ended up doing well, winning state,” Bruner said. “This summer, I’ve been working really hard, going to camps and learning a lot of new fundamentals, so I’m expecting a lot more out of myself this year.”
Along with Iowa, Bruner has interest from Wisconsin, Northwestern, Michigan, Northern Illinois, and North Dakota State, among others. If all goes according to plan, he sees himself eventually making a college decision a year from now prior to his senior season.
“I feel like going into my senior year of football I will have already committed to a school, so hopefully another year and I’ll know exactly where I’m going,” said Bruner.
