Hawkeyes offer top 2010 punter

There is little doubt that Wisconsin native Will Hagerup is one of the top punters in the nation in the Class of 2010. One look at his long list of scholarship offers from around the country will tell you that. It is a list that is now into double digits with the latest coming from the Iowa Hawkeyes this past week.

"Last week, Iowa came by my school on Wednesday and I think the next night they made a final decision on the offer," said Hagerup. "I actually got the letter in the mail on Saturday."

The Hawkeyes join Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Northwestern, Purdue, Tennessee, and Wisconsin on Hagerup's growing list of suitors. Since receiving his new offer, the punter has spoken to the coaching staff to learn more about the University of Iowa.

"I actually talked to them earlier today and they were just telling me that Iowa would be a great place for me to go," Hagerup said. "They said it's a great atmosphere there and I know they have a real strong fan base. I'm interested in going into business and they said they have a very strong business school too."

Hagerup, whose brother is currently the punter at Indiana, also has a couple of connections to the Hawkeyes. First, Iowa recruiting coordinator Eric Johnson is from his neck of the woods and actually graduated from the same high school he currently attends. Also, he has a teammate headed to Iowa City this year as a walk-on.

"My snapper, Charlie Knipper, is one of my really good friends and he's actually going there as a preferred walk-on, so that kind of throws an interesting variable into it," said Hagerup.

Currently, Hagerup is taking things slow with the recruiting process and keeping everything open. As the evaluation period winds down this spring, he hopes to start narrowing down his list and eventually make a decision by the end of the summer if possible.

"The evaluation period is over in a week or two, so right now I'm just waiting to finish that up and then I think I'll have a better idea of some of my top choices," Hagerup said. "A lot of the recruiting stuff has been really fun and exciting so far, but it's also kind of a tiring process, so I'd like to be done with it before next season if I can."