Niemann finds right fit

Nick Niemann has plenty of options when it came to college programs seeking to land his verbal commitment. But, after looking at everything and studying each program, the place where his brother already resides ended up being his choice for his future at the college level.

In the end, Iowa was the most familiar and comfortable place for the 6-foot-3 and 205 pound outside linebacker, winning his verbal commitment over Wisconsin, Iowa State, and Northwestern.

Niemann traveled to Iowa City on Friday to be part of the Hawkeyes big Tailgate Weekend event and before the festivities got underway, he let Kirk Ferentz know he would be joining the program.

"I just realized it was time and I wanted to commit in person, so on Friday before we started the visit, I committed. Coach Ferentz was really excited because I think we have a pretty good class coming together right now," Niemann said. "I just realized it was the place for me because the academics, the facilities, and the people are great. I really like the players and coaches and to play with my brother in the Big Ten is something I couldn't turn down."

Niemann's brother, Ben, is currently sitting at the top of Iowa's depth chart at one of the linebacker positions as a sophomore, but he didn't apply any pressure on his younger sibling to join him in Iowa City.

"It was all my choice for sure. He didn't apply any pressure at all to me," Niemann said. "He did answer questions I might have, so I was well informed about how the Iowa program works and what they do on a daily basis, but he kind of sat back and let me make the decision myself about what was best for me."

With the decision made and the commitment on the books, Niemann said he could relax a bit and start the bonding process with the many recruits, including several commits, who were on campus this weekend in Iowa City.

"We really clicked fast this weekend and got to know each other and started hanging out together. It was a great weekend. A lot of those guys are really interested in Iowa and we picked up five commits this weekend, including my own. There were quite a few commits there and it was exciting because we will be teammates in the future and we got to know each other."

Now the Sycamore High School standout from Illinois can turn his attention to preparing for his senior season as recruiting has come to an end.

"I was ready to have recruiting come to an end. Now I can focus on my senior year and doing well there."

Niemann is rated by Rivals.com as a three star prospect and the 27th best prospect in the state of Illinois.