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Max Llewellyn discusses his decision

Urbandale defensive end Max Llewellyn announced his commitment to the Iowa Hawkeyes today.
Urbandale defensive end Max Llewellyn announced his commitment to the Iowa Hawkeyes today.

After Urbandale native Max Llewellyn announced his commitment to Iowa today, we caught up with the 6-foot-5, 230-pound defensive end to discuss his decision, what led him to pick the Hawkeyes, his future in Iowa City, and much more.

Q: First, can you tell us what led up to your decision to commit to Iowa this week?

LLEWELLYN: This weekend, I got together with my family and talked to my head coach to review my film and my playing style and we all came to the conclusion that when push comes to shove I really belong on the defensive side of the ball. Once we decided that, I knew my best opportunity was at Iowa. If I felt I belonged more on the offensive side, then Iowa State would be the pick. It was a very tough choice, but I felt like the opportunity that Iowa has on defense is really appealing.

Q: Once you decided on defense, what made Iowa the right fit?

LLEWELLYN: I just think with Coach Doyle’s program and their culture, I can really excel there. I’ve also had some conversations with Coach Bell and he’s great. He gets right to the point and he’s a great mentor. He’s all about muscle memory and building off of the small things. You start off small and then you build on that every single day to get better and I’m all about that.

Q: Can you tell us about the call you made when you committed?

LLEWELLYN: I called and basically told them that I thought it was time because why wait if you know where you want to go? I know I want to go to Iowa, so there’s no point in waiting because I’m all in. That was with Coach Niemann and then I called Coach Ferentz the same night and told him as well.

Q: What was their reaction?

LLEWELLYN: They were both thrilled. They sounded extremely excited and it was like a two-way street because I can’t wait to get this thing going. I’m all in.

Q: How unique is it for Urbandale to have two players headed to Iowa now with you and Jaden Harell?

LLEWELLYN: It’s great. Jaden is one of my best friends and the fact that we get to play together at the next level is just awesome. It’s one of those things that kids dream about and it’s actually happening where your get to play college football with your best friend.

Q: Do you two go back to youth league as teammates even?

LLEWELLYN: Yeah, absolutely. We’ve been playing football together since fourth grade. We were the Raiders and ended up winning a championship. Now, we’re hoping to do that same thing senior year.

Q: When you look back at your recruiting, was it pretty crazy this year going from basically no offers to a couple offers to a dozen offers all within a few weeks it seemed?

LLEWELLYN: Yeah, definitely. My mindset at the beginning of the year was like fingers crossed I’ll get a chance to go Division I. But after the season ended, all of these schools started getting a hold of my film and learning more about me. It started pretty small with Western Michigan being my first offer and then NIU and it kept building off of that. I think I had three MAC offers and then I got my first Power 5 offer from Iowa State in January after a lift. From there, I got offered by Nebraska and kept getting more and more as I communicated with different schools and got my film out more. It’s been an absolutely crazy ride and I’m just extremely thankful for all the opportunities.

Q: You said earlier that you went back and looked at your film and decided that defense would be the right path for you in college. What do you like about defense and your skill set that translates there a little more?

LLEWELLYN: I think with my playing style, my explosion off the ball, and my aggressiveness, it could be lethal at the next level with the development in Iowa’s program.

Q: What is the feeling like for you today after making your decision?

LLEWELLYN: It’s great. It feels like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I kind of knew I wanted to go to Iowa this whole time, for about a month now, so now that it’s finally over it just feels great. I’m extremely thankful for each and every single coach that’s taken time to evaluate me as a recruit, but it’s a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.

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A three-star prospect, Llewellyn chose Iowa over scholarship offers from Iowa State, Nebraska, Penn State, Michigan State, Northwestern, Missouri, Kansas, Kansas State, Western Michigan, Northern Illinois, Miami of Ohio, North Dakota State, Illinois State, and Northern Iowa.

Overall, Llewellyn is commitment No. 10 for the Hawkeyes in 2021, as he joins Jordan Oladokun, Cooper DeJean, Jeff Bowie, Zach Twedt, Griffin Liddle, Justice Sullivan, Connor Colby, Jaden Harrell, and Gennings Dunker in the Iowa's recruiting class.

This past season, Llewellyn had 37 tackles, 11.5 TFL, and four sacks for Urbandale.

See highlights from his junior year in the video below.

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