The Hawkeyes currently have 11 scholarship commitments in the 2025 freshman class.
June 24, 2024 7:24 PM, Updated: June 24, 2024 7:41 PM
Iowa Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz watches his players during warmups before a game against Rutgers at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)
IOWA CITY — Less than 48 hours after the University of Iowa football program hosted a flurry of official visits from 2025 recruits, the Hokies are starting to see the benefits.
Three freshmen committed after their official visits concluded Sunday: defensive back Charles Bell and offensive linemen Lucas Allgaier and Cameron Herron.
Herron was the first of the three to commit, choosing the Hokies over Northwestern, Cincinnati, Louisville, West Virginia and Boston College. The 6-foot-4 offensive lineman from Indianapolis is rated as a three-star recruit by 247Sports, On3 and Rivals.
Allgaier, a 6-foot-6 lineman from St. Louis, followed suit. He held offers from other Power Four schools, including Kansas State, Northwestern, Ole Miss and Miami (Fla.).
Bell, a three-star defensive back from Boston who recently committed to Iowa, was named to the program's other finalists, including Wisconsin, Rutgers, Penn State, Tennessee, Notre Dame and Minnesota.
The Hokies currently have 11 scholarship commitments in the class of 2025. 247Sports ranks the class 54th nationally and 15th in the 18-team Big Ten. On3 ranks the class 36th nationally and 11th in the Big Ten.
Here's a position-by-position breakdown of the 11 players who have committed to Iowa so far (excluding preferred walk-ons).
- TE: 3 (Thomas Meyer, Eli Johnson, Mason Woods)
- OL: 3 (Joey VanWetzinga, Cameron Herron, Lucas Allgaier)
- LB: 2 (Burke Gocher and Carson Cooney)
- DB: 2 (Drew McPherson and Charles Bell)
- QB: 1 (Jimmy Sullivan)
- RB, WR, DL: Not yet decided
Iowa has seven more uncommitted targets who took official visits to Iowa City this month.
- DE Iose Epenesa
- WR Terrence Smith
- OL Brock Heath
- DB Joshua Guerrier
- DL Brad Fitzgibbon
- DL Christian Hudson
- K Scott Starzick
Epenesa, a five-star prospect and legendary recruit at Iowa, is the name that stands out the most on this list. In addition to a trip to Iowa, the alma mater of his brother and father, Epenesa has also taken official visits to Miami (Fla.), Penn State, Missouri and Utah.
Smith is rated as a four-star recruit by On3 and three-star by other recruiting services. The 6-foot-4 wide receiver from Chicago's west suburbs also holds offers from Purdue, Minnesota and Iowa State.
Iowa's competition for Heath, a three-star offensive lineman from the Kansas City area, includes in-state schools Kansas and Kansas State. Heath also took an official visit to Northwestern.
Guerrier said on social media earlier this month that he plans to announce his commitment on July 1. The prospect from Ocoee, Florida, has previously taken official visits to South Florida, Pittsburgh, Boston College and Iowa State.
Fitzgibbons, a three-star defensive lineman from Chicago, will choose between Kansas, Iowa and Michigan State. He said on social media earlier this month that he plans to announce his commitment this Tuesday.
Hudson is scheduled to announce his commitment on July 6. Other schools in the top 10 for the three-star defensive lineman include West Virginia University, University of Maryland, University of California, San Francisco, Jackson State University and Iowa State University.
Starczyk received an offer from the Hawkeyes during his official visit, which isn't a given for a kicker. Many of the major recruiting sites have yet to give him a rating, but Coles Kicking Camp rated him as the No. 1 kicker in the 2025 class.
Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com
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