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As we continue our signing day coverage, we take a look back chronologically at how the Iowa Hawkeyes' recruiting class of 2018 came together over the past year.
January 22, 2017 - Commitment #1
Once Illinois offensive lineman Jeff Jenkins received a scholarship offer from Iowa last winter, he wasted little time before committing to the Hawkeyes. On January 22, 2017, the 6-foot-4, 272-pound Jenkins gave his verbal pledge during a visit to Iowa City. At the time, he was actually Iowa's second commitment, but the Hawkeyes later parted ways with their first, which was Wisconsin linebacker Mike Bruner, who ended up at North Dakota. Along with Iowa, Jenkins held offers Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, Ball State, Central Michigan, and Toledo. As a senior, he helped lead Crystal Lake Prairie Ridge to their second consecutive state title in Class 6A in Illinois.
February 1, 2017 - Commitment #2
One of Iowa's last commits in the 2017 class also ended up being one of their first for 2018 as defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon took a little detour to Iowa Western Community College this season. The 6-foot-4, 305-pound Nixon stuck with the Hawkeyes despite an offer from Alabama this fall and is excited to get started when he enrolls at semester in January. This season, Nixon finished with 38 tackles, 11 TFL, and 4 sacks for Iowa Western.
March 20, 2017 - Commitment #3
Iowa's second commitment came in March from hometown prospect Dillon Doyle, who has grown up around the program with his father, Chris Doyle, the long time strength and conditioning coach for the Hawkeyes. The 6-foot-3, 223-pound Doyle also considered scholarship offers from Central Florida, Northern Illinois, and South Dakota, along with an opportunity at Harvard, but a chance to play for the Hawkeyes was just too good to pass up. As a senior, Doyle had 73 tackles and 9 TFL on defense and 19 catches for 242 yards and 4 touchdowns on offense for Iowa City West. An early graduate, the outside linebacker will be enrolling at Iowa at semester in January.
April 23, 2017 - Commitment #4
Iowa's third commitment came on April 23 when they landed running back Henry Geil from Wisconsin. The 6-foot-1, 211-pound Geil is big, physical back who finished his senior season with 224 carries for 1,479 yards and 16 touchdowns at Green Bay Preble. Along with Iowa, Geil considered scholarship offers from Michigan State, Iowa State, Indiana, Syracuse, Bowling Green, Western Michigan, and South Dakota State, but found the right fit with the Hawkeyes early on and never looked back.
April 29, 2017 - Commitment #5
Iowa's next commitment came one week later as Indianapolis native Tyrone Tracy Jr. joined the Hawkeyes' recruiting class with a video to announce his decision. In Iowa, the 6-foot-0, 187-pound Tracy like he found the perfect fit, citing the coaches and the culture inside the program. Along with Iowa, Tracy held offers from Indiana, Louisville, Northwestern, Illinois, Cincinnati, Boston College, Western Michigan, Ball State, Bowling Green, Navy, Miami of Ohio, and Central Michigan. As a senior, he put up big numbers for Decatur Central with 123 carries for 1,412 yards rushing and 54 catches for 1,132 yards receiving and 29 total touchdowns.
May 1, 2017 - Commitment #6
It was only a couple days later that Iowa landed their fifth commitment,which came from Solon defensive tackle Tyler Linderbaum. The 6-foot-2, 270-pound Linderbaum grew up just down the road from Iowa City and felt comfortable right away with the Hawkeyes, choosing them over offers from Iowa State and Minnesota State. As a senior, Linderbaum finished the season with 51 tackles, 7 TFL, and 2 sacks for Solon and was selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in January.
May 21, 2017 - Commitment #7
Later on in May, Iowa added a commitment from versatile athlete Samson Evans, who could play running back, wide receiver, or defensive back in college. Named player of the year in the state of Illinois, Evans rushed for 2,101 yards and 37 touchdowns playing quarterback his senior year and led Crystal Lake Prairie Ridge to a second straight state title with fellow Iowa commit Jeff Jenkins leading the way. Evans, who will start out at running back in college, said it was the people and the culture at Iowa that led him to pick the Hawkeyes over offers from Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa State, Indiana, Syracuse, Western Michigan, and Northern Illinois.
June 5, 2017 - Commitment #8
Pennsylvania cornerback Terry Roberts earned a scholarship offer at Iowa's camp on June 3 and turned right around and committed on June 5. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Roberts counts former Hawkeye Jovon Johnson, a fellow Erie, PA native, among his mentors and said that relationship along with Iowa's coaching staff played a big role in his decision. As a senior at Cathedral Prep, Roberts put up big numbers on both sides of the ball with 41 catches for 1,237 yards and 16 touchdowns on offense and 24 tackles and 5 interceptions on defense as he led the team on an undefeated state title run.
June 18, 2017 - Commitment #9
Late in the evening on June 18, offensive lineman Cody Ince added his name to Iowa's commitment list when he announced his verbal pledge to the Hawkeyes. A Wisconsin native, the 6-foot-5, 260-pound Ince chose Iowa over offers from Minnesota, Maryland, Virginia, Purdue, Central Florida, Wyoming, New Mexico, Northern Illinois, and Central Michigan, citing the family atmosphere and small town feel of Iowa City. As a senior, Ince helped his Unity team rush for 2,187 yards on the ground and on defense he collected 101 tackles, 21 TFL, and 4 sacks on the season.
June 26, 2017 - Commitment #10
The following week, Iowa added another Wisconsin native in Jack Plumb, who is a big 6-foot-8, 250-pound tight end in high school that the Hawkeyes plan to grow into an offensive tackle in college. Iowa was the first major conference school to offer Plumb, which is something that always stuck with him, as he chose the Hawkeyes over Wisconsin, Michigan State, Arizona State, and Minnesota, among others.
July 4, 2017 - Commitment #11
The Hawkeyes got some early fireworks on the 4th of July with a commitment from defensive tackle Noah Shannon. The 6-foot-1, 300-pound Shannon had committed to Minnesota early on in the process, but the Hawkeyes stayed after him and quickly became the team to beat once he reopened his recruiting in June. In addition to Iowa and Minnesota, the three-star prospect also held offers from Arkansas, Missouri, Michigan State, Purdue, Duke, Virginia, Iowa State, Kansas State, Memphis, Cincinnati, Rutgers, Syracuse, and Washington State. As a senior, Shannon finished with 46 tackles, 15 TFL, and 8 sacks at Oswego High School.
August 22, 2017 - Commitment #12
The next commitment came on August 22 as cornerback D.J. Johnson announced his decision on his mom's birthday to honor all the sacrifices she has made for him growing up. An Indianapolis native, the 6-foot-0, 170-pound Johnson chose Iowa over a list of offers that included Notre Dame, Duke, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Cincinnati, Syracuse, Western Michigan, and Northern Illinois, among others. LSU also threw their hat into the ring later on and Ohio State remained in contact right up until signing day. As a senior, Johnson finished with 36 tackles and 2 interceptions for Indianapolis North Central High School.
September 1, 2017 - Commitment #13
Iowa's next commitment also came from Indianapolis as four-star defensive back Julius Brents announced his decision on September 1. A tall and rangy athlete that could play safety or cornerback, the 6-foot-2, 179-pound Brents cited Iowa's success in putting defensive backs in the NFL under Phil Parker's tutelage among his reasons for picking the Hawkeyes. Along with Iowa, the four-star prospect also considered offers from Michigan State, Louisville, Vanderbilt, Indiana, and Cincinnati, among others. Brents missed part of his senior year with a knee injury, but returned for the second half of the season and had had 17 tackles and 1 interception for Warren Central.
December 5, 2017 - Commitment #14
The next commitment that stuck for the Hawkeyes didn't come until early December when in-state defensive end John Waggoner finally made the call and ended his recruiting. A four-star prospect, the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Waggoner kind of had Iowa has his leader throughout the process, but wanted to wait until after the season to make any decisions. In the meantime, Iowa had nearly filled up and moved in another direction with his offer, but Kirk Ferentz personally took charge of his recruiting and reshuffled things to make sure the Hawkeyes had room. Along with Iowa, Waggoner picking up scholarship offers from Ohio State, Penn State, LSU, Oregon, Oklahoma, Florida, UCLA, Michigan, Michigan State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Indiana, Kansas State, and Iowa State during his recruitment.
December 13, 2017 - Commitment #15
Florida wide receiver Calvin Lockett had Iowa as an early favorite, but then started looking elsewhere when it looked like the Hawkeyes might not take another receiver, only to circle back around and commit in December. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound Lockett plays for former Hawkeye Marcus Paschal at Largo High School and looks forward to following in his coach's footsteps in Iowa City. A three-star prospect, Lockett also picked up offers from Wisconsin, Purdue, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Illinois, Oregon State, South Florida, and Central Florida, among others, during the recruiting process.
December 15, 2017 - Commitment #16
Iowa's long search for a quarterback in the Class of 2018 finally came to an end in mid December when they picked up a commitment from California native Spencer Petras. A four-star prospect, the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Petras was committed to Oregon State since May, but after a coaching change in Corvallis this season, he decided to take a look at Iowa after they offered and found what he calls a great fit in their pro-style offense. As a senior, Petras put up huge numbers at Marin Catholic, throwing for 4,157 yards and 50 touchdowns with only two interceptions. An early graduate, Petras will be enrolling at Iowa at semester in January.
December 20, 2017 - Commitment #17
Four-star safety Dallas Craddieth was an early signing day surprise for the Hawkeyes on December 20. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound St. Louis native had been planning to wait until February before deciding, so he could take some more official visits, but decided at the last minute to go ahead and end the recruiting process with a commitment to Iowa. A highly sought after prospect, Craddieth picked up scholarship offers from the likes of Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa State, Kentucky, Louisville, Minnesota, Michigan State, Missouri, Ole Miss, Memphis, Purdue, Kansas State, Syracuse, North Carolina, Northwestern, and Vanderbilt during the recruiting process.
December 21, 2017 - Commitment #18
One day after the early signing period began, South Dakota linebacker Seth Benson added his name to Iowa's commitment list. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound Sioux Falls native picked up a late offer from Iowa in December after Ben VanSumeren decommitted and left for Michigan. After thinking it over for a couple days, Benson decided the opportunity was too good to pass up and committed to the Hawkeyes over his father's alma mater, South Dakota State, where he was previously headed.
January 8, 2018 - Commitment #19
Iowa's first commit of the late signing period was prep school receiver Nico Ragaini, who accepted an offer from the Hawkeyes on January 8, and turned right around and enrolled in classes the following week when the second semester started. A 6-foot-0, 190-pound wideout, Ragaini was considering a college career in lacrosse coming out high school, but a great prep season at Avon Old Farms in Connecticut produced a grayshirt opportunity from Boston College and ultimately the offer from Iowa.
February 2, 2018 - Commitment #20
In-state linebacker Logan Klemp stayed patient with Iowa throughout the recruiting process and saw it pay off in February with a late offer from the Hawkeyes. Klemp, who is a 6-foot-3, 210-pound prospect from Jewell, opted not to sign in December with any of the FCS powers that had offered, which included South Dakota, UNI, and North Dakota State, among others. The hope was to land his dream offer from Iowa, which is exactly what happened.
February 2, 2018 - Commitment #21
The recruitment of Michigan S/LB Kaevon Merriweather is quite an unusual story. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Merriweather was initially more of a basketball prospect, considering offers from Western Michigan and Ferris State, but a transfer to Belleville for his senior year saw his football career blossom. Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker went to out to evaluate him in person and eventually made the call to offer. Merriweather accepted and committed to the Hawkeyes on his official visit last weekend.
February 5, 2018 - Commitment #22
Filling a key need, Georgia linebacker Jayden McDonald was a huge commitment for the Hawkeyes this week, just two days before signing day. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound McDonald chose Iowa over scholarship offers from Ole Miss, Purdue, and Kansas State, among others. McDonald, who built a strong relationship with linebackers coach Seth Wallace, said the key factors in his decision were the environment, coaching staff, and player development at Iowa, along with the opportunity to play early in his career.
