Running back Nolan Ray was able to get his first look at Iowa during an official visit with the Hawkeyes this weekend. The 6-foot-0, 200-pound Michigan native, who made the trip with his parents, saw up-close what the Iowa football program is all about.

"I toured the facility, hung out with players, and got to know the coaches," said Ray. "The closeness of the players is what really stood out to me."

The Iowa players that Ray spent time with included a couple from Michigan, most notably his host who is a returning starter at safety for the Hawkeyes.

"My host was Kaevon Merriweather and I felt like I fit in well," Ray said. "All the guys were cool."

The trip also gave Ray a lot of time to spend with the coaches, including running backs coach Ladell Betts, who sees his running style being a good fit for the Hawkeyes.

"I was with Coach Betts and Coach Ferentz the most," said Ray. "Coach Betts said he likes my physicality and ability to run between the tackles."

Last month, Ray named a top four of Iowa, Maryland, Stanford, and Pittsburgh. Last week, he toured Maryland, this week it was Iowa, and up next on the schedule is an official visit to Stanford on June 24.

In addition to his top four schools, Ray also holds scholarship offers from Boston College, Syracuse, Marshall, Temple, Army, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Buffalo, Toledo, Miami-OH, Ball State, Ohio, and Kent State.