Rivals100 OL talks latest Iowa visit

Ranked among the top prospects in the nation in the Class of 2019, offensive lineman William Putnam has been a frequent visitor to Iowa City this past year. The 6-foot-4, 280-pound Putnam was in Kinnick Stadium for Iowa’s game against Iowa State in September, then at the Hawkeyes’ first junior day in March, and returned again this weekend to watch the team at work in spring practice.

“I really came back to Iowa to see the coaches coach their players,” said Putnam. “I took away that the coaches and players take ownership in what they do. They practice with real intensity and work to do everything the right way.”

At Iowa’s practice on Saturday, Putnam had a chance to follow around the offensive linemen as they put in a day’s work. Afterwards, the four-star prospect met with the Hawkeye coaches, who continue to recruit him heavily.

“I was able to sit in on position meetings before practice,” Putnam said. “Then I was able to walk around during practice and get a feel for how the Iowa coaches coach. After that, I had individual meetings with Coach Brian Ferentz, Coach Doyle, Coach Wallace, who will be my recruiting coach when I'm down in Tampa, and then Coach Polasek and Coach Kirk Ferentz.”

“The coaches’ message was that they want me to come play football for Iowa,” he continued. “They recruit guys who will buy into the Iowa way of football and guys who will give it their all. They want guys who love playing smash mouth football. If you give it your all for the team, the coaches will give it their all for you on and off the field.”

Putnam mentioned the move to Tampa, which is coming soon for his family as they relocate from Illinois to Florida where he will attend Plant High School as a junior this fall. That may change the dynamics of his recruiting a bit, even if he does already have offers from all over the country, but the Class of 2019 prospect will stay true to his roots.

“Right now, I'm honored to have the offers I have to play college football at the next level,” said Putnam. “When it comes to new schools looking at me, I am who I am. I will continue on trying to be the best athlete I can be. Schools may look at me more, but I'm not worried about it. I'm just focused on being the best I can be and the rest will take care of itself.”

Recently, Putnam has had a chance to visit several of the schools on his list, including Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, and LSU, but this weekend’s trip was the final one for the time being.

“This was my last visit of the spring,” Putnam said.

A Rivals100 prospect in the Class of 2019, Putnam currently holds scholarship offers from Iowa, Ohio State, Michigan State, Nebraska, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, Northwestern, Penn State, Maryland, Pittsburgh, LSU, UCLA, and Virginia.

See highlights from Putnam's sophomore year in the video below.