Iowa named Rivals’ Big Ten team to ‘keep an eye on’ in the 2023 recruiting class
There seems to be a change in Iowa Hawkeyes recruiting. Typically known as a developmental school that brings in three-star athletes and turns them into all-conference caliber players down the road, Iowa is now a team that has caught the eye of Rivals national recruiting analyst Clint Cosgrove.
In Cosgrove’s latest spotlight of the Big Ten in this upcoming 2023 class, he listed Iowa as his team to keep an eye on in the conference.
There are a few Big Ten programs that could fit this category as Minnesota and Northwestern are racking up early commits, and Nebraska has been making moves as well. I find the potential of Iowa’s class to be the most intriguing of programs currently not ranked in the Big Ten’s top four. – Cosgrove, 247Sports.
Cosgrove alludes to Iowa’s potential shift away from developmental program status with their 2022 and 2023 classes. Iowa was able to land in-state, five-star safety and No. 19 overall player Xavier Nwankpa in the 2022 class, and they will look to do the same with his former teammate Kadyn Proctor this year.
A five-star offensive tackle, Proctor is Rivals’ top tackle in the class and their 12th overall recruit. Proctor could be the next big thing to come out of Iowa’s offensive line factory and help set a trend of bigger recruits coming to Iowa City.
Should Iowa land Proctor and squeeze in a couple more four-star players, this could be one of its better recruiting classes in recent history. – Cosgrove, 247Sports.
Iowa also was able to grab four-star quarterback from New Jersey Marco Lainez III. Lainez is the 14th overall quarterback in the class and the fifth highest-ranked prospect in the Garden State. Iowa hasn’t had a standout quarterback since maybe Nate Stanley or CJ Beathard (depending on your definition of standout) and will hope that either Lainez or former three-star redshirt freshman Joey Labas can become that guy.
Currently, Iowa is 20th in Rivals’ 2023 class team rankings, with three of their three-star recruits right on the border of being four-stars. If the Hawkeyes can add Proctor, it would not only be a massive boost to this class, but a statement that Iowa is ready to bring in top recruits to the fold.
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