Peoria teammates visit Iowa

Last fall, Peoria made it all the way to the 5A state quarterfinals with help from a couple sophomores in quarterback Coran Taylor and offensive lineman Marques Cox. Now getting ready for their junior year, the Class of 2018 prospects have plenty of college interest, including some from the Iowa Hawkeyes, who had them on campus for a visit this weekend.

“I really like the campus,” said Cox, a 6-foot-5, 285-pound lineman. “I got to talk to some professors and academic advisors and really see how they put academics first instead of football.”

“Then I got to see the weight room, which is really nice,” he continued. “I love the weight room.”

“I was able to talk to some players and get their perspective on the university and how the coaches are,” Cox said. “I saw the dorms and where the freshmen live when they get there. It’s a brand new building, so it’s really nice. Then I got to try on some jerseys with pads, which I thought was really cool.”

The two-day stay in Iowa City for the Hawkeye Tailgater also gave the teammates a lot of time with the Iowa coaching staff as they continue to build a relationship during the recruiting process.

“It was really great,” said Taylor, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound quarterback. “The coaches are great. From what I’ve seen, they are there for you and really want what’s best for you. It’s a really nice place to be.”

For Cox, who has an early offer from Iowa State, the visit to Iowa City was a return trip as he attended Iowa’s camp in June. While the Hawkeyes have not yet offered, the coaches will be keeping a close eye on him this season during his junior year.

“Coach (Brian) Ferentz, the offensive line coach, I really like being around him,” Cox said. “He’s a cool person and an amazing coach that’s produced a lot of linemen in the NFL. Mostly he talked about recruiting me during the season. He’s going to see a few more games and hopefully I get an offer during the season. I’ve just got to keep working.”

Similarly, Taylor met with Iowa offensive coordinator Greg Davis and looks to show college coaches more this year as a junior, coming off his first season as a starter a year ago.

“I had a lot of growing to do coming off this season, so I feel like this summer really helped me improve a lot,” said Taylor. “I worked with my quarterback coach a lot, just learning more and more, so I can be that much better going into the season and help my team more.”

With a lot of returning starters back, especially upfront on the offensive line, Taylor has high expectations for this year's Peoria team.

“I feel like we’re going to go far,” Taylor said. “I feel like we’re going to win it all this year. We’ve got all of the pieces to the puzzle.”