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As we begin our early signing day coverage this week, we take a look back chronologically at how the Iowa's recruiting class of 2020 came together over the past two years for the Hawkeyes, starting with the first commit all the way up to the latest.
June 29, 2018 - Commitment #1
The first commit for Iowa was a big one as four-star quarterback Deuce Hogan gave his verbal pledge to the Hawkeyes in June of 2018 before the start of his junior year. Citing an interest to play in Iowa's pro-style offense, the 6-foot-4, 205-pound Hogan chose the Hawkeyes over scholarship offers from Baylor, Georgia, Tennessee, Oklahoma State, Colorado, Iowa State, Boston College, Syracuse, Houston, Louisiana Tech, and Tulsa, and stuck with his decision even after interest from Clemson and several others a year later. Hogan is not only one of Iowa's highest ranked prospects, but also developed into the leader of the class and helped recruit others to join him. As a senior, Hogan finished the season 159/291 passing for 2,362 yards with 30 touchdowns and six interceptions playing for his father at Grapevine Faith Christian.
September 1, 2018 - Commitment #2
Iowa's second commitment came right after their season opener in 2018 as Wisconsin defensive lineman Michael Lois announced his verbal pledge publicly with a sign right in front of the Nile Kinnick statue outside the stadium. The 6-foot-4, 260-pound Lois earned an offer at Iowa's camp the previous summer and chose the Hawkeyes over South Dakota State. Two weeks after his commitment, Lois was seriously injured in a pool accident that left him with three broken vertebrae and the fear that he may never walk again initially. His recovery since that time has been nothing short of amazing as he is not only walking, but running and lifting again, and will be playing high school baseball in the spring. Lois' future in football remains up in the air, to be determined once he gets to Iowa and is examined by team doctors, but even if he is not allowed to play again, he is planning to stay around the program and perhaps get into coaching someday.
November 1, 2018 - Commitment #3
Iowa's third commitment came exactly two months later when Illinois defensive lineman Isaiah Bruce made the call to the Hawkeye coaching staff in November. Iowa was the first to offer the 6-foot-2, 270-pound Bruce after he impressed the coaches at their camp, but that was followed by offers from Iowa State and Northwestern. But it was the early relationship the Hawkeyes had built with the three-star prospect that ultimately won and landed his commitment. As a senior, Bruce finished with 63 tackles and 15 TFL on defense to go along with 84 carries for 1,050 yards and 16 touchdowns on offense as he led Lena-Winslow to an undefeated state championship season in 2019.
January 11, 2019 - Commitment #4
In January, Iowa landed their fourth commitment in the class, which came from in-state running back Gavin Williams. The 6-foot-0, 195-pound Williams chose the Hawkeyes over scholarship offers from Michigan, Nebraska, and Iowa State. An early enrollee, he will be on campus in Iowa City next month and has already developed a close bond with the Hawkeye coaching staff and other commits. As a senior, Williams finished the season with 140 carries for 1,263 yards and 18 touchdowns despite missing three games with a foot injury and led Dowling Catholic to their seventh straight state title.
February 3, 2019 - Commitment #5
Council Bluffs Lewis Central defensive lineman Logan Jones was the next commitment on the board for the Hawkeyes, giving his verbal pledge on Super Bowl Sunday in February. The 6-foot-3, 255-pound Jones picked Iowa over scholarship offers from Nebraska, Minnesota, and Iowa State, citing the at-home environment that he experienced every time he visited Iowa City. In January, Jones will be playing in the All-American Bowl in San Antonio, where he will get to face some of the best recruits in the country. A two-way starter, who could play on either side of the ball in college, Jones finished his senior year with 33 tackles, 15.5 TFL, and 8.5 sacks for Lewis Central.
February 17, 2019 - Commitment #6
Iowa's sixth commitment came from Cedar Rapids native Ethan Hurkett, who actually committed on the spot right after being offered a scholarship at the Hawkeyes' junior day in February. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Hurkett is a hard working, tough football player that will likely grow into a defensive lineman in college. As a senior, he finished the season with 70 tackles and 14.5 TFL playing linebacker for Cedar Rapids Xavier.
March 8, 2019 - Commitment #7
The next commitment came from Hurkett's high school teammate, Josh Volk, who made the call to the Hawkeyes in early March, choosing Iowa over scholarship offers from Nebraska and Iowa State. The 6-foot-4, 306-pound Volk is a strong, versatile lineman that quickly returned from ACL surgery at the end of last season to help his Cedar Rapids Xavier team finish 8-2 this year.
March 8, 2019 - Commitment #8
Less than one hour later came a commitment from Tyler Elsbury, who decided it was time for him to decide as well since Iowa had been his gut feeling throughout the recruiting process. A 6-foot-6, 298-pound offensive lineman with impressive athleticism, Elsbury picked Iowa over scholarship offers from Illinois, Indiana, Purdue, Missouri, West Virginia, Syracuse, Northern Illinois, and Western Michigan. Elsbury, who is also a standout wrestler, led Byron to a 12-2 record and an appearance in the state title game as a senior.
April 12, 2019 - Commitment #9
Iowa's ninth commitment was one of its biggest recruiting victories as the Hawkeyes pulled highly sought after tight end Elijah Yelverton out of Texas. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound Yelverton picked Iowa, or "Tight End U" as he put it, over 35 other scholarship offers with a list that included LSU, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Penn State, Arizona State, Auburn, Baylor, Boston College, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Purdue, TCU, Texas Tech, Utah, and Vanderbilt, among others. Yelverton, who will be playing in the Under Armour All-American Bowl in January, finished his senior season with 62 catches for 594 yards and nine touchdowns as helped Trinity Christian win a state championship.
May 16, 2019 - Commitment #10
The Hawkeyes moved into double digits when Illinois running back Leshon Williams committed in May just one day after earning a scholarship offer from the coaching staff. The 5-foot-10, 205-pound Williams said it was not a hard decision, as Iowa had been a favorite for some time now ever since the Hawkeyes started recruiting his teammate Sebastian Castro in last year's class. A three-star prospect, Williams chose Iowa over scholarship offers from Kansas State, Cincinnati, and Wyoming, among others. As a senior, Williams rushed for over 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns despite missing six weeks with an ankle injury, as he helped lead Richards to a 10-2 record.
June 12, 2019 - Commitment #11
Iowa's next commit also saw his recruiting come together quickly with the Hawkeyes as Mason Richman earned a scholarship offer at camp, made an official visit, and then gave his verbal pledge all within the span of about 10 days. A 6-foot-5, 259-pound defensive end in high school, Richman will be making the transition to offensive tackle in college, which is where he played at Iowa's camp and impressed the coaches. Richman, who will be enrolling at semester in January, chose the Hawkeyes over scholarship offers from Kansas, Northern Illinois, Air Force, Akron, Ball State, and Princeton, among others. As a senior, he finished with 45 tackles, 12 TFL, three sacks, two forced fumbles, and five blocked kicks this season, leading Blue Valley to an 8-4 record.
June 14, 2019 - Commitment #12
The Hawkeyes kept the ball rolling with commitment No. 12 from Minnesota defensive end Yahya Black. The 6-foot-6, 255-pound Black was flying under the radar until the spring when things started to pick up with scholarship offers from Iowa, Minnesota, Kansas State, Buffalo, and North Dakota State, among others. After attending Iowa's camp on June 14, he decided that he had found the right fit and committed to the Hawkeyes on the spot. With his frame and athleticism, along with the ability to play on either side of the ball, Black has a huge upside and a bright future ahead, according to his coach, Terry Bahlmann. As a senior, he finished the season with 58 tackles, 10.5 TFL, and 4.5 sacks, leading Marshall to a 9-1 record.
June 16, 2019 - Commitment #13
After returning home from his first visit to Iowa, Florida wide receiver Quavon Matthews became commitment No. 13 for the Hawkeyes on June 16. The 6-foot-0, 170-pound Matthews, whose coach is former Hawkeye Marcus Paschal, said he liked everything that Iowa had to offer and it felt like family right away. Coming off ACL surgery as a junior, Matthews had early scholarship offers from North Carolina and Southern Miss, but it was Iowa that stuck by him even before he returned to the field this fall. With good hands and rare blocking ability for a receiver, Matthews finished his senior season with 22 catches for 449 yards and two touchdowns for Largo this year.
June 22, 2019 - Commitment #14
With the third weekend in June being Iowa's big official visit date, things stayed busy on the commitment front starting with AJ Lawson. The versatile 6-foot-2, 180-pound Lawson, who could play cornerback, safety, or receiver, chose Iowa over scholarship offers from Minnesota, Wyoming, Central Michigan, Ball State, Bowling Green, Kent State, Northern Illinois, Toledo, and Western Michigan, citing the family feeling that he got when he was on campus in Iowa City. As a senior, he finished the season with 39 catches for 681 yards and seven touchdowns on offense and two interceptions on defense for Decatur MacArthur.
June 23, 2019 - Commitment #15
The following day brought three commits as the official visitors began to head for home, starting with Michigan cornerback Brenden Deasfernandes. The 6-foot-0, 161-pound Deasfernandes began the summer relatively unknown to Division I recruiters, but an MVP performance at Iowa's camp changed all of that. Phil Parker decided to offer and after the official visit, Deasfernandes accepted. As a senior, he finished the season with 22 tackles, eight pass breakups, and one interception for Belleville High School.
June 23, 2019 - Commitment #16
A few hours later, it was Indianapolis linebacker Jay Higgins joining the fold as the next commitment for the Hawkeyes. The 6-foot-0, 209-pound Higgins earned a scholarship offer from Iowa on June 11 and committed on June 23 after his official visit, saying the coaches and players accepted him into their family right away. A three-star prospect, Higgins chose Iowa over offers from Air Force, Tulane, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Ball State, Bowling Green, Miami-OH, Toledo, and Western Illinois. As a senior, he put up huge numbers at Brebeuf Jesuit Prep, finishing the season with 151 tackles and eight TFL on defense and 26 catches for 329 yards and four touchdowns on offense.
June 23, 2019 - Commitment #17
The third commitment on June 23 was from defensive end Lukas Van Ness from Illinois. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Van Ness has roots in the Hawkeye State with his father originally from Central Iowa and an older sister currently enrolled at the Tippie College of Business. During the recruiting process, Van Ness earned a wide range of scholarship offers with a list that included Minnesota, Illinois, Kansas, Kansas State, Wyoming, Air Force, Navy, Memphis, Tulane, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Western Michigan, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Cornell, Brown, Dartmouth, Lehigh, Holy Cross, Tennessee-Martin, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Southern Illinois, South Dakota, and Western Illinois. As a senior, he finished the season with 49 tackles, 24 TFL, and seven sacks as he led Barrington to a 6-4 record this year.
June 24, 2019 - Commitment #18
The last commitment coming off the official visit weekend was from Alabama safety Reginald Bracy, who announced his decision one day after returning home from Iowa City. The 6-foot-0, 190-pound Bracy said that he found the right fit at Iowa, both on and off the field, and was ready to end the recruiting process. In addition to Iowa, Bracy held scholarship offers from Indiana, Navy, Air Force, Central Michigan, Southern Miss, Troy, UAB, and South Alabama. As a senior, he finished the season with 89 tackles, six TFL, seven pass breakups, and one interception this year for St. Paul's.
July 3, 2019 - Commitment #19
Wide receiver Diante Vines was next for the Hawkeyes, as he committed in early July. The 5-foot-11, 189-pound Connecticut native received an early offer from the Iowa coaching staff and was thoroughly impressed by his first visit to Iowa City in June. A three-star prospect, Vines chose the Hawkeyes over scholarship offers from Boston College, Syracuse, Army, and Navy, among others. An explosive playmaker, Vines finished his senior year with 49 catches for 552 yards and eight touchdowns at Taft.
July 10, 2019 - Commitment #20
One week later came the next commitment for the Hawkeyes as tight end Luke Lachey gave his verbal pledge. For the 6-foot-7, 220-pound Ohio native, the decision was all about the culture and the opportunity that awaits him at Iowa. Lachey, whose father played at Ohio State, chose the Hawkeyes over scholarship offers from Michigan State, Nebraska, LSU, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Kentucky, Minnesota, Louisville, Indiana, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Iowa State, Vanderbilt, and Cincinnati, among others. As a senior, he put up big numbers for Grandview Heights, finishing with 57 catches for 720 yards and seven touchdowns receiving, plus 43 carries for 337 yards rushing and three touchdowns on the ground and five interceptions on defense.
August 16, 2019 - Commitment #21
The last commitment of the summer, and of the early signing period, for the Hawkeyes came from highly recruited four-star defensive end Deontae Craig. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound Indiana native was impressed with his first look at Iowa City on his official visit in June and the more he thought it over, the more it seemed like the Hawkeyes were the right fit. Iowa and Indiana were Craig's two finalists, but other scholarship offers during the recruiting process included Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Purdue, Tennessee, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, Minnesota, North Carolina, Washington State, and Vanderbilt to name a few. As a senior, Craig had a big year for Culver Academies, finishing the season with 63 tackles, 22.5 TFL, and 7.5 sacks.
February 5, 2020 - Commitment #22
The one new addition for the Hawkeyes in the late signing period was Australian punter Tory Taylor, who signed with the Iowa coaching staff on February 5. The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Taylor received a scholarship offer from special teams coordinator LeVar Woods during a recruiting trip to Australia this past month and is excited about the opportunity. The 22-year old will be a true freshman this fall with four years of eligibility.
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