Three-Star Defensive End Chima Chineke Signs with Iowa
Iowa has signed 2024 three-star defensive end out of Plano East, Texas, Chima Chineke. He committed to the Hawkeyes in mid-July.
Chineke chose Iowa over offers from programs including Oklahoma State, Kansas, Texas Tech, Houston, and Oregon State.
"I was thinking I'd pick Iowa after the official visit," Chineke said in June. "But I wanted to think about it, so I made the right decision. I thought about it over the last couple weeks, and it's definitely the right choice. I feel like Iowa is the best fit for me. Relationship-wise and position-wise I feel like it's a great fit."
Because of his experience on his official visit, we at Go Iowa Awesome had Chineke FutureCasted to join the Hawkeyes in June.
Chineke received his offer from Iowa in late March when he and his mom made it to campus for a spring practice.
"I was shocked," he told me following the offer. "Getting an offer from Iowa is not easy at all. They told me they don't really offer a lot of people, and I've seen that. I even asked Coach (Kelvin) Bell, 'Are you serious?' This is one of the best defensive schools in the country and they offered me."
The head start the Hawkeyes had in Chineke's recruitment and his early interest helped Chineke and the staff build a strong foundation for his recruitment going forward.
"Coach Bell and Coach (LeVar) Woods have been recruiting me for a little bit," he said. "They come down to my school often, talk to me and I really feel the strong connection there. I love everything about them."
"They were super excited when I told them I was committing," Chineke added. "Especially Coach Bell. He likes my athleticism, pass-rushing, and that I can do my job efficiently. They really like me as a person -- how I get along with people. They watched my spring practice, and they loved my interactions with everybody and how I approach the game."
Another key reason why he picked the Hawkeyes is his position of choice. Though he had an offer from the Jayhawks and Chineke had always considered that his dream school, the Kansas staff saw him as a defensive tackle. He wants to play defensive end at the next level, which is also where Iowa sees him.
And for good reason -- Chineke possess a long frame with weight to fill out and strength to put on that will help him on the edge, but he's already been productive at DE for Plano East. This season, Chineke registered 48 tackles, and led the Panthers with eight tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.