Messiah Blair makes first visit to Iowa

Detroit defensive end Messiah Blair had a chance to make his first visit to Iowa City on Friday. For the 6-foot-7, 230-pound Blair, who earned an offer from the Hawkeyes back in January, it was a good opportunity to learn more about the Iowa football program.

"It was great today," said Blair. "What really stood out was the amount of support the Iowa football players have with tutors, great coaches, and a great support team all around."

Blair, who made the trip with his family, was able to sit down with Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz on Friday and continue to build on their relationship.

"I met with Coach Ferentz and I can truly say he is a great guy all around," Blair said. "He told me a lot about Iowa history."

A three-star prospect, Blair is currently looking over a list of more than 20 scholarship offers that includes Iowa, Maryland, Purdue, Cincinnati, Marshall, Buffalo, Akron, Ball State, Kent State, Miami-OH, Northern Illinois, Ohio, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, and Western Michigan, among others, but right now the Hawkeyes have emerged as one of the early favorites.

"Iowa Is one of my top schools hands down," said Blair.

Up next is likely an unofficial visit to Indiana. This summer, Blair plans to return to Iowa for an official visit on June 24 and will be scheduling more in the near future.