Hawkeye Tailgater Preview

Before starting practice next week, the Iowa coaching staff will be hosting their last big recruiting event of the summer with the Hawkeye Tailgater scheduled for this Sunday. In this update, we take a look at the top Class of 2021 and 2022 prospects that are expected to be in town, where Iowa currently stands in their recruiting, and much more.

The Iowa Hawkeyes were the first to offer four-star defensive end Kyran Montgomery, which came at their junior day in February, and have remained in close contact ever since. This weekend, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound Indianapolis native will return to Iowa City for another visit.

"I’m looking forward to seeing my potential future coaching staff and getting around my potential future teammates," said Montgomery.

Currently, Montgomery holds scholarship offers from Iowa, Indiana, Purdue, Cincinnati, and Bowling Green.

Urbandale linebacker Jaden Harrell has been to Iowa City several times since adding an offer from the Hawkeyes at their junior day in February and will be back in town this weekend.

"I look forward to spending more time on campus with the coaches and learning more about the program," said Harrell.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound Harrell, who grew up a Hawkeye fan, currently has scholarship offers from Iowa and Nebraska.

After earning a scholarship offer at Iowa's camp on June 2nd, in-state defensive lineman Jeff Bowie will be back for another visit with the Hawkeyes on Sunday.

"I am really just looking forward to the whole day," said Bowie. "I think it should be a good time."

The 6-foot-5, 242-pound West Branch native currently holds offers from Iowa, Iowa State, Nebraska, Minnesota, Virginia, Vanderbilt, and Northern Illinois.

Bettendorf defensive tackle Griffin Liddle has been a frequent visitor to Iowa City this past year and will be back in town for the Hawkeye Tailgater this weekend.

"I am looking forward to talking to all the coaches again and getting back in the atmosphere because I really enjoy being there," said Liddle.

The 6-foot-4, 255-pound Liddle, whose father Josh wrestled at Iowa, was the first in-state prospect the Hawkeyes offered in the Class of 2021, which was back in March of 2018 when he was still just a 14-year old freshman in high school.

Now, the three-star prospect's offer list includes Iowa, Iowa State, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Michigan State with interest from several others.

One of the most interesting visitors this weekend is in-state linebacker Zach Twedt, who verbally committed to Iowa State in January. Last month, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Twedt attended Iowa's camp where he earned an offer from linebackers coach Seth Wallace and now will be visiting the Hawkeyes again this weekend where he looks forward to meeting the players and other recruits.

"I think just getting a chance to be around all of the other 2021 recruits and see what they are like," said Twedt. "Also, getting to speak with the players will be a great experience."

Twedt, who had 80 tackles as a sophomore at Roland-Story last season, currently has scholarship offers from Iowa and Iowa State and is receiving interest from Notre Dame and Nebraska, among others.

Class of 2021 tight end Jameson Geers has been on a roll this summer, picking up scholarship offers left and right including one from Iowa after a standout performance at their camp on June 2nd. Now, the 6-foot-5, 225-pounder from Providence Catholic High School in Illinois will be returning for another visit.

"I'm excited to see the other recruits and the coaching staff this weekend," said Geers. "I'm looking forward to getting a feel for the program a little more."

Currently, Geers holds scholarship offers from Iowa, Iowa State, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Minnesota, Purdue, Illinois, Virginia, West Virginia, Louisville, Kansas, Temple, Northern Illinois, Ball State, and Toledo.

Making the longest trip to get to Iowa City this weekend will be Tampa Jesuit defensive back Jordan Young. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Florida native picked up an offer from the Hawkeyes in early June and is interested in learning more about the school.

"I want to get to know more about the law program, check out the Iowa way, meet the coaching staff, and see my old teammate Dane Belton," said Young.

A Class of 2021 prospect, Young currently holds scholarship offers from Iowa, Alabama, Florida, Miami, Florida State, Pittsburgh, South Florida, and Florida International.

Class of 2021 running back Ricky Parks, who is a teammate of Jordan Young's at Tampa Jesuit, will also be in town this weekend. For the 5-foot-11, 202-pound Parks, it will be his second visit to Iowa City as he attended Iowa's game against Wisconsin last fall.

"I’m looking forward to getting to know more about Iowa and to see what things they have to offer," said Parks.

Currently, Parks holds scholarship offers from Iowa, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Kentucky, Louisville, Purdue, South Carolina, Virginia, Indiana, Central Florida, and Central Michigan.

Chicago running back Willie Shaw will be making a pair of Big Ten visits this weekend with a stop at Illinois on Friday and Iowa on Sunday. For the 5-foot-11, 180-pound Shaw, it will be a return trip to Iowa City after earning a scholarship offer at the Hawkeyes' camp in June.

"I’m excited to be able to go back and visit Iowa City," said Shaw. "I'm really looking forward to meeting new people and talking with the coaches and other recruits."

Shaw, who ran a 4.50 forty this summer, currently holds scholarship offers from Iowa, Illinois, and Virginia.

After earning a scholarship offer at Iowa's camp on June 23rd, in-state wide receiver Brody Brecht will be back on campus to visit the Hawkeyes this weekend.

"I'm looking forward to getting to know the coaches more and getting around campus," said Brecht.

As a sophomore, Brecht finished the season with 30 catches for 513 yards and six touchdowns for Ankeny last fall. He is also one of the state's top baseball prospects in the Class of 2021 and has an offer from Coach Heller to play baseball at Iowa as well.

Currently, the 6-foot-4, 193-pound Brecht, who ran a 4.53 forty last month, has football offers from Iowa, Iowa State, and William & Mary.

Bolingbrook safety Justin Walters, who is one of the more highly recruited prospects in the state of Illinois in the Class of 2021, will be making his third visit to Iowa City this weekend.

"I’m looking forward to seeing more of the campus on the Tailgater," said Walters. "Also looking forward to seeing the coaching staff again."

Currently, the 6-foot-1, 170-pound Walters holds a dozen scholarship offers with a list that includes Iowa, Iowa State, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Minnesota, Boston College, Temple, Cincinnati, Army, Bowling Green, Northern Illinois, and Western Michigan.

Last month, Class of 2022 prospect Braelon Allen earned his first scholarship offer after impressing Iowa's coaching staff at their camp and is coming back to campus to get a more in-depth look at the Hawkeyes this weekend.

"I want to get to know the coaching staff more and learn a little bit more about the university and what it has to offer their student-athletes," said Allen.

As a freshman at Fond Du Lac High School in Wisconsin, Allen played quarterback and defensive back, but might eventually grow into a linebacker, which is where he worked on day two at Iowa's camp.

Also a standout wrestler, Allen was a state qualifier as a freshman this past season, finishing the year with a 37-6 record at 182 pounds.

Currently, Iowa remains the only scholarship offer for the 15-year old Allen, but expect that to change this fall once he gets more film out to colleges.

Iowa was the first school to offer Class of 2022 offensive lineman Carson Hinzman, which came right after his performance at their camp on June 2. The 6-foot-4, 275-pound Wisconsin native will be back on campus this weekend to visit the Hawkeye Tailgater.

"I’m really looking forward to going down and learning more about the University of Iowa and the people around it," said Hinzman. "I’m also looking forward to meeting the other recruits and learning their perspective."

In late June, Hinzman also added an offer from the in-state Badgers after attending their camp.

Missouri offensive lineman Beau Stephens is coming into the weekend without an offer on the table from the Hawkeyes yet, but there is a good chance that will change before he leaves on Sunday.

"I'm hoping to get an offer," said Stephens. "I'm also looking forward to seeing the whole school and getting to know the coaches better."

The 6-foot-6, 320-pound Stephens, who attended Iowa's camp in June, currently holds scholarship offers from Missouri, Kansas, Kansas State, and Iowa State.

Michigan defensive end Tyson Watson was scheduled to visit Iowa during spring practice, but had to cancel at the last minute and now will be coming to campus this weekend instead.

"I'm looking forward to seeing the campus and the city," said Watson. "I know it's a huge football town."

A 6-foot-5, 243-pound defensive end, Watson currently holds scholarship offers from Kentucky, Central Michigan, Toledo, and Youngstown State.

Illinois wide receiver Mason Pierre-Antoine was a new addition to the visitors list this week as he will be making a return trip to Iowa City on Sunday after working with the coaches at their camp on June 16th.

"I went to Iowa in June and had a great camp," said Pierre-Antoine. "I look forward to seeing the campus and getting to visit with Coach Kelton Copeland again. At the camp, I got to talk with him and really like his style. I also look forward to seeing a couple of my former teammates from high school and 7-on-7 like Turner Pallissard, Jackson Ritter, and Amani Jones."

The 6-foot-1, 165-pound Pierre-Antoine is waiting for his first scholarship offer, but has interest from Iowa, Illinois, Northwestern, and Purdue, among others.

In-state offensive lineman Connor Colby will be making his first visit to Iowa since giving the Hawkeyes his verbal commitment on June 21st. The 6-foot-6, 275-pounder from Cedar Rapids Kennedy looks forward to being back on campus Sunday.

"Just getting to know the other commit in my class, talking with the other recruits, and talking to coaches," said Colby.

A four-star prospect, Colby chose Iowa over scholarship offers from Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Virginia Tech, Minnesota, and Iowa State.

Iowa's first commit in the Class of 2021, Gennings Dunker, will also be in town this weekend. For the 6-foot-5, 265-pound Illinois native, it will be his first trip to Iowa City since early June when he earned an offer at Iowa's camp and committed on the spot.

"I'm really looking forward to seeing all the other 2021 recruits," Dunker told HawkeyeReport.com.

Iowa's first Class of 2022 commit also came in June as in-state defensive lineman Aaron Graves immediately accepted a scholarship offer from Kirk Ferentz after impressing the Hawkeyes at their final camp of the summer.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound Graves will be back in Iowa City this weekend for the Hawkeye Tailgater and looks forward to continue building his relationship with the coaches.

"Just learning names and getting to know the staff better is my goal at this because I have three years until I step foot there so it's important to get to know as many coaches now as I can," said Graves.

July 28 Hawkeye Tailgater Visitors:

Kyran Montgomery - 6-foot-5, 215-pound 2021 DE from Indianapolis, IN (Iowa offer)

Jaden Harrell - 6-foot-2, 215-pound 2021 LB from Urbandale, IA (Iowa offer)

Jeff Bowie - 6-foot-5, 242-pound 2021 DE from West Branch, IA (Iowa offer)

Griffin Liddle - 6-foot-4, 255-pound 2021 DT from Bettendorf, IA (Iowa offer)

Zach Twedt - 6-foot-3, 205-pound 2021 LB from Story City, IA (Iowa offer, ISU commit)

Jameson Geers - 6-foot-5, 225-pound 2021 TE from New Lenox, IL (Iowa offer)

Jordan Young - 6-foot-1, 185-pound 2021 DB from Tampa, FL (Iowa offer)

Ricky Parks - 5-foot-11, 202-pound 2021 RB from Tampa, FL (Iowa offer)

Willie Shaw - 5-foot-11, 180-pound 2021 RB from Chicago, IL (Iowa offer)

Brody Brecht - 6-foot-4, 193-pound 2021 WR from Ankeny, IA (Iowa offer)

Justin Walters - 6-foot-1, 170-pound 2021 DB from Bolingbrook, IL (Iowa offer)

Braelon Allen - 6-foot-1, 200-pound 2022 DB from Fond Du Lac, WI (Iowa offer)

Carson Hinzman - 6-foot-4, 275-pound 2022 OL from Hammond, WI (Iowa offer)

Beau Stephens - 6-foot-6, 320-pound 2021 OL from Blue Springs, MO

Tyson Watson - 6-foot-5, 243-pound 2021 DE from Warren, MI

Mason Pierre-Antoine - 6-foot-1, 165-pound 2021 WR from Frankfort, IL

Connor Colby - 6-foot-6, 275-pound 2021 OL from Cedar Rapids, IA (Iowa commit)

Gennings Dunker - 6-foot-5, 265-pound 2021 OL from Lena, IL (Iowa commit)

Aaron Graves - 6-foot-4, 230-pound 2022 DE from Gowrie, IA (Iowa commit)

Stay with HawkeyeReport.com this weekend for the latest news on Iowa football recruiting.