Recruiting notebook: Benjamin decision Monday; Dykstra heads to South Beach
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Recruiting is one part of college football that never ends.
So as the Iowa football team practices this spring, the Iowa coaches also have to stay active on the recruiting trail.
Their hard works is paying dividends as Iowa remains very popular with several 2017 recruits.
The most notable of which is four-star running back Eno Benjamin. The Wylie, Texas native has Iowa at the top of his list and is set to announce his commitment on Twitter at 6 p.m. this coming Monday.
Benjamin recently had a cryptic message for Iowa fans, telling AllHawkeyes.com that they should “prepare for the worst, but always hope for the best.”
Unless Benjamin changes his mind before Monday, all signs point to him making a verbal commitment to Iowa. That would bolster Iowa’s already solid 2017 class, which is headlined by five-star defensive end and Hawkeye legacy A.J. Epenesa from Edwardsville, Ill.
Iowa’s 2017 recruiting class, which consists of eight players, is currently ranked 13th in the nation by Rivals. The last time Iowa had a class ranked in the top 15 nationally was 2005.
Dykstra’s Defection: Three-star Spirit Lake offensive lineman Zach Dykstra recently made a verbal commitment to Miami (Fla).
Dykstra had offers from Iowa and Iowa State, but followed in the footsteps of NBA star LeBron James by deciding to take his talents to South Beach.
Dykstra is the second in-state prospect with a scholarship offer from Iowa to commit to a different school. Three-star West Des Moines Valley quarterback Rocky Lombardi recently announced his commitment to Michigan State.
Iowa has offered scholarships to seven players from in state in 2017 class. Five of the seven players already have committed to the Hawkeyes.
Muse-ic to his ears: Three-star wide receiver Jahmin Muse likes what he is hearing from the Iowa coaches.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Muse has had his eye on Iowa for quite some time and was excited to recently receive a scholarship offer.
“It feels great,” said Muse, who is from New Jersey. “They’ve been keeping in contact with me for a few months, sending me mail and stuff like that. It’s a school I’ve had my eye on.”
Muse also has offers from Boston College, Rutgers and Maryland.
Clair-ly the favorite: Iowa remains the favorite for three-star running back Andrew Clair, who is from St. Louis.
Clair said Iowa was his top school following a junior-day event in March. He also nearly committed that day.
He plans to schedule another visit to Iowa soon.
“Iowa is still my number one school at the moment,” Clair said. “I’m going to visit (Iowa) again. I have a couple visits with Northern Illinois and Ball State coming up. I’m planning one to Bowling Green as well.”
Ajian offer: Mansfield, Ohio, native Tyrell Ajian recently announced his top six schools, which included Iowa.
Ajian has not yet received an offer from Iowa but has a significant interest in the Hawkeyes.
“I just like the school in general,” said Ajian, who plays receiver and defensive back. “They’re moving in the right direction as a program.
“They would easily be in the top three if I had an offer.”
Ajian wants to schedule a visit to Iowa and has started to develop a relationship with new recruiting coordinator Kelvin Bell.
Iowa offers 2018 Georgia QB: : Georgia native Cade Fortin is believed to be the first quarterback in the 2018 class to receive a scholarship offer from Iowa.
The 6-2, 195-pound Fortin, who is from Suwanee, Ga., was excited about the Iowa offer.
“I’m grateful that I’m being recruited by such a great and successful school,” Fortin said.
Fortin also has a scholarship offer from California and has garnered interest from Clemson, Louisville, Florida State, North Carolina and South Carolina. He also plans to attend Louisville’s spring game.
Spring game invites: As of now, four 2017 recruits have accepted invitations to Iowa’s spring game on April 23.
They are four-star receiver Isaiah Robertson from Naperville, Ill; three-star receivers Maurice Bell, from Murrieta, Calif.; inside linebacker Spencer Cuvelier from Cresco and athelete Alphonso Soko from Muscatine.