IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Iowa football team had an advantage over every other program when it came to recruiting star defensive end A.J. Epenesa.

His father played football at Iowa and was hoping that A.J. would commit to the Hawkeyes, which he did on Jan. 17 during a family visit to Iowa City.

Iowa now hopes to add another defensive piece with ties to Iowa City to the 2017 recruiting class in linebacker Colin Anderson, who was born in Iowa City and now lives in Killen, Ala.

Anderson said during an unofficial visit to Iowa this past fall that the Hawkeyes would be hard to beat for his commitment. He still thinks very highly of Iowa, but wants to consider his options before making a decision.

“I’m going to consider every offer I receive and evaluate every program that believes I’m a good investment,” Anderson said Sunday. “I’m trying to give serious consideration to every university. Iowa is still a top contender.”

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Anderson also has offers from Iowa State, Vanderbilt and Yale.

As a raw, under-the-radar recruit, Anderson might benefit from the success of the Iowa coaches in developing little-known high school players into stars at the collegiate level. Anderson said the Iowa’s ability to develop players under veteran head coach Kirk Ferentz, as well as the staff’s longevity, are big draws for him to Iowa.

“I like the stability of the staff and the way they develop players,” Anderson said.

Anderson said the Iowa coaches have compared him to a recent star linebacker for the Hawkeyes.

“They said I reminded them of Christian Kirksey (now in the NFL) who played there a few years back,” said Anderson, who has relatives who graduated from the University of Iowa and who still live in Iowa. “They like my raw ability and think I’d do well at Leo backer.

Anderson said he hopes to take an unofficial visit to Iowa this summer.

He also plans to attend both the Nike and Rivals invite camps this spring.