Harty: Iowa’s history of FB recruiting shows timing is everything
IOWA CITY, Iowa – It probably is no coincidence that the Iowa football team’s most heralded recruiting classes have come during unprecedented times of success.
Iowa’s 2017 class, which added four-star running back Eno Benjamin on Monday, is the latest example of that.
Combine Benjamin with five-star defensive end A.J. Epenesa and Iowa has commitments from two of the top players in the 2017 class.
Iowa’s 2017 recruiting class currently consists of nine players and is ranked 12th nationally by Rivals in the wake of Benjamin’s commitment.
Should it finish in the top 10 nationally, it would mark the first time since 2005 that Iowa has had a top-10 recruiting class.
The rankings are harder to track dating back before the Internet, but you might have to go all the way back to 1986 to find another consensus top-10 recruiting class for Iowa.
In the case of all three classes, including the 2017 class, timing is everything.
Iowa’s 1986 recruiting class, which included four top-100 prospects in quarterback Dan McGwire, running back Tony Stewart and linebackers Melvin Foster and Brad Quast, was formed during the peak of Hayden Fry’s historical run as head coach.
The building of the 1986 class coincided with Iowa’s 1985 season in which the Hawkeyes won the Big Ten title and finished 10-2 overall.
Most of the recruits waited longer to pick a school in the 1980s, so recruiting classes often were impacted by what had just happened in the previous season, whereas now the process usually takes a year or two because so many recruits commit earlier.
There wasn’t much time for Iowa to benefit from its success last season with regard to the 2016 recruiting class because all but a few of the players had committed before the 2015 season even started.
It was believed that the 2017 class would cash in more from Iowa’s 12-2 record in 2015, and that seems to be the case with a five-star recruit and a four-star prospect already on board.
Iowa certainly had an advantage with A.J. Epenesa, which not even the blue bloods could match with him being the son of former Iowa defensive lineman Eppy Epenesa.
But even with his father’s ties to the program, Iowa would’ve been a much tougher sell coming off a mediocre season.
By winning 12 games last season, Iowa showed A.J. Epenesa that it could compete for championships and it became relevant again.
Those close to the Iowa program often say that getting recruits on campus is the key step in securing commitments.
There is some truth to that. But winning in unprecedented fashion seems to be the biggest step.