Iowa's big recruiting weekend led to a flurry of commitments, capped off by the addition of local legacy recruit Julian Manson.

Three Thoughts looks at Manson's potential role on the Iowa defense, his film, and Iowa's hold on in-state recruits in the 2026 class.

Manson is officially listed as an athlete (ATH) by Rivals, but Iowa has earmarked him for the defensive side of the ball when he gets to college. Specifically, he's being looked at as a future middle (or mike) linebacker (MLB).

"[The mike linebackers] know Iowa's defense," Manson said in a chat earlier this year. "It stayed the same over the course of many years. They know what defense is. They know how to play multiple positions. They're students of the game. Coach [Seth] Wallace said he thinks -- because of my background, my grades and just how I am as a person -- I fit the mike linebacker position perfectly."

During his earlier visits to Iowa City, Iowa coaches and staff emphasized how he could become a standout MLB with the Hawkeyes. Though he's currently listed at 215 lbs, that's not an uncommon starting point for many middle linebackers when they begin their Iowa careers.

"I think that was one of the big things for me," Manson said. "He showed me a lot of the guys who have played the linebacker position and have made it to the NFL. He showed me where they started. They all kind of look like me, around 215-pound area. Then, when they finished at Iowa, they were 245, 250. They were just, like, units."

Iowa has also been laser-focused on Manson in this year's class. He's the first linebacker that Iowa has added to the 2026 class (though Kasen Thomas, another recent commit, is listed as an OLB or EDGE) and he was a priority for the Hawkeyes during earlier visits.

"[Wallace] said it was for a reason," Manson added. "It wasn't a fluke that I was the only person there. That was the first thing I noticed. I was like 'There's no other linebackers here!' Because at Northwestern, there were like, eight other linebackers in the room. And I was the only one at Iowa. Coach Wallace made it clear that I'm a priority."

Iowa has added several notable linebacker prospects in recent classes, including Carson Cooney and Burke Gautcher last year and Cam Buffington, Preston Ries, and Derek Weisskopf the year before. So the path to playing time for Manson won't be guaranteed. But if he continues to develop his size and skills as expected, he should have a real chance to be a part of the battle for playing time at LB in a few years.

Manson's physical gifts are easily spotted on film. He's a fast and fluid athlete with good length. He moves well (especially in open space) and displays impressive overall athleticism -- how many linebacker recruits returned punts and kicks for their high school teams?

Manson also shows good burst and explosion off the snap and his skills as a route-runner as a tight end should also come in handy when dropping into coverage as a linebacker. While time in the strength and conditioning program will be a must, Manson already shows good strength, which should improve in a collegiate weight-lifting program.

On film, Manson is a good tackler in open space as well -- a vital skill to have as a future mike linebacker. He does a good job of squaring up opposing ball-carriers, breaking them down, and finishing the tackle. His catching ability as a tight end could also pay dividends at MLB as well -- Jay Higgins led Iowa with four interceptions last year and Jack Campbell and Josey Jewell each had multi-interception seasons while at Iowa, so a MLB that can haul in errant passes is definitely a useful asset to the Iowa defense.

Manson's commitment also strengthens Iowa's hold locally and state-wide. He's the second player in this year's recruiting class from Iowa City West to commit to Iowa, alongside offensive lineman Colin Whitters. They'll join fellow Trojan Mason Woods, a 2025 Iowa commit, in the Hawkeye program.

Adding Manson gives Iowa commitments from three of the top of Rivals' top five prospects in the state of Iowa: Carson Nielsen, Manson, and Whitters. Nilsen was the first member of Iowa's recruiting class, way back in April of 2024. Continuing to land impactful prospects in their backyard is essential for Iowa and the Hawkeyes are doing a good job of locking down the homeland in this class, though they won't be landing commitments from the other two players in Rivals' in-state top five (Jayden McGregory and Evan Jacobson), as neither have been offered by the Hawkeyes.

The addition of Manson also continues the strong legacy trend in Iowa's recent classes. Iowa added Mason Woods (son of former Iowa linebacker and current Special Teams Coordinator LeVar Woods) and Iose Epenesa (son of former Iowa defensive lineman Eppy Epenesa and brother of former Iowa defenders A.J. Epenesa and Eric Epenesa) last year. Now they're adding the son of former Iowa quarterback and current Director of Player Development Jason Manson.

Legacy ties don't guarantee anything -- the performance of a player's father or brothers isn't going to have any real impact on what they do with their own careers in black and gold. But keeping legacy players in the fold can be a helpful touch as well; given their longtime ties to the program, they often arrive with a good understanding of the history and culture of the program, which can be a benefit to getting acclimated and continuing to build and grow that culture into the future.