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Pottebaum walking on at Iowa

West Lyon FB/LB Monte Pottebaum will be walking on at Iowa this year.
West Lyon FB/LB Monte Pottebaum will be walking on at Iowa this year.

A visit late in the recruiting process helped West Lyon fullback Monte Pottebaum accept an opportunity to walk-on with at Iowa. We caught up with his head football coach, Jay Rozeboom, to talk about type of player the Hawkeyes will be getting.

Q: What type of player has he been for you?

ROZEBOOM: He has just been a tough, physical player for us. He started since his sophomore year at linebacker. He is a gritty kid who is highly intelligent. He works hard in the weight room. He brings it every play.

Q: How did you use him at the high school level?

ROZEBOOM: He was willing to move around. He was an outside linebacker as a sophomore and junior. We moved him to middle linebacker for his senior year. He was able to absorb all of that. He played tight end as a junior, and just being we needed him there, we moved him to fullback for his senior year. He did a great job blocking, carrying, and catching everything. He was pretty versatile.

Q: What does he need to improve on the most before college?

ROZEBOOM: I think everyone wants to get better at everything. He understands the game but I’m sure like everyone else, he can get stronger and faster. He is very strong right now, but most kids can always get stronger and faster.

Q: How has he been as a leader?

ROZEBOOM: He sets the tone in the weight room for us. He leads others in the weight room. He has helped them with their program and motivates them. He has a certain toughness that he brought to the field. That is what he brought into the weight room.

Q: Where does he project out at the college level?

ROZEBOOM: I believe he’ll start out as a fullback. He could play linebacker if need be, but that’d be his spot.

Q: How do you feel he’ll do at fullback at Iowa?

ROZEBOOM: I see him fitting in with what the Iowa fullbacks have been over the years. They are tough kids who will block and bring that workman like attitude to the field. He is a tough guy. He likes to block people and usually wins the one on ones. He has great hands to catch the ball. If he gets opportunities to carry the ball, he’ll punish people.

Q: After having been committed to Augustana, what opened him up to the University of Iowa?

ROZEBOOM: He had a really good offer from them. It was a great opportunity for him because they are a very good academic school. He is a 4.0 kid. Everything felt good there, but he was asked to take an unofficial visit to Iowa to just check it out. He felt really good about them obviously and wanted that opportunity. I feel bad for (Augustana) because they did everything right. They were classy about everything. I felt like he needed to try this. I think he’ll be successful.

Q: When was the visit?

ROZEBOOM: He did it on a weekend when Jaden (Snyder) was there.

Q: What made him change his mind?

ROZEBOOM: It is hard to beat Iowa. Their facilities are impressive. Their coaching staff is great people. They are very, very classy. It looked good to him.

As a senior, Pottebaum had 149 carries for 868 yards and 18 touchdowns on offense to go along with 75 tackles on defense.

See highlights from Pottebaum's senior year at West Lyon in the video below.

Iowa's Class of 2018 walk-ons:

Colton Dinsdale- 6-foot-0, 212-pound LB from Reinbeck, IA (Iowa Western)

Nick Anderson- 6-foot-3, 230-pound LB from Waukee, IA (Iowa Western)

Matt Fagan- 6-foot-5, 265-pound OL from Council Bluffs, IA (St. Albert)

Turner Pallissard- 6-foot-2, 220-pound FB from Frankfort, IL (Lincoln-Way East)

Blair Brooks- 6-foot-3, 190-pound WR from Marion, IA (Marion)

Connor Kapisak - 6-foot-5, 195-pound QB from South Windsor, CT (South Windsor)

Kordell Stillmunkes- 5-foot-9, 180-pound WR from Cuba City, WI (Cuba City)

Luke Empen- 6-foot-7, 230-pound TE from Goose Lake, IA (Northeast)

Mitchell Riggs- 6-foot-2, 215-pound LB from West Des Moines, IA (Dowling)

Kyle Sorensen- 6-foot-6, 250-pound OL from Waukee, IA (Waukee)

Nathan Nelson- 6-foot-4, 230-pound DE from Waukee, IA (Waukee)

Mike Timm- 6-foot-1, 220-pound LB from Wales, WI (Kettle Moraine)

John Carlson- 6-foot-4, 190-pound LB from Bondurant, IA (Bondurant-Farrar)

Joe Evans- 6-foot-3, 210-pound LB from Ames, IA (Ames)

Brian Sadler- 6-foot-2, 280-pound OL from Jesup, IA (Jesup)

Jake Morrison- 6-foot-3, 215-pound LB from Waukee, IA (Waukee)

Ben Subbert - 6-foot-4, 235-pound TE from Williamsburg, IA (Williamsburg)

Monte Pottebaum - 6-foot-2, 220-pound FB from Inwood, IA (West Lyon)

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