Iowa prep commits to the Hawkeyes
Many people got their first look at Julian Vandervelde back when he was the towering first baseman on the Davenport East Little League team that made it to Williamsport and the U.S. Finals. While some thought that baseball was his first love, it was actually football that he dreamed about, specifically playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes. On Friday, that dream moved one step closer to reality as he verbally committed to the Hawkeyes.
"I am a Hawkeye now," Vandervelde said Friday afternoon. "I am really pinching myself right now. I grew up a Hawkeye and most of my friends are Hawkeyes. This has really been my dream for a long time and now it is coming true."
Today Vandervelde made the call to the Iowa football offices to let the coaching staff know that he was taking them up on their scholarship opportunity.
"I talked to Coach Ferentz and Coach Morgan today. Coach Ferentz was very excited to hear the news. They put a lot into recruiting me and I am very happy that they think highly of me. That made me even more excited," he said.
The 6-foot-3 and 295-pound two-way lineman for Davenport Central will not follow the traditional route of most seniors. Because the Hawkeyes are short on scholarship numbers in 2006, Vandervelde will enroll at Iowa part-time in the fall of 2006 and then go on scholarship for the second semester in January of 2007. He chose the Hawkeyes over a full scholarship offer from Stanford.
It has been a long road for Vandervelde this summer and he is glad it is officially over, as he can now move his focus on to his future in Iowa City.
"This whole process takes a lot out of you, but it was a lot of fun. I know that I made the right choice. I am really excited to be a Hawkeye and I cannot wait to start working with the entire staff there. I really feel that Iowa is the total package for me both athletically and academically and I can reach my full potential there as both a student and an athlete."
Vandervelde is projected on the offensive side of the football for the Hawkeyes, most likely at either guard or center. This fall he will play offensive and defensive tackle at Davenport Central.
Stay tuned to HawkeyeReport.com for all the latest on Iowa Hawkeye football recruiting.