City High’s Nate Wieland finally gets an offer from Iowa
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – While the college football world has rolled out the red carpet for Iowa City West receiver Oliver Martin, his close friend from across town has toiled mostly in obscurity.
City High senior Nate Wieland doesn’t have powerhouse programs like Michigan, Notre Dame and Ohio State chasing after him, as is the case with Martin, but Wieland now finally has the scholarship offer he has long cherished.
Wieland announced Thursday morning on Twitter that he had just received an offer from Iowa.
He didn’t commit on the spot because his situation is sort of complicated.
Wieland has been committed to Northern Illinois as a dual-threat quarterback for several months. He was prohibited from visiting Iowa last weekend because Northern Illinois, just like Iowa, has a no-visit policy for its committed players.
Wieland might have risked losing his scholarship to Northern Illinois if he had visited Iowa last weekend.
And since he didn’t have an offer from Iowa at the time, it was too risky to visit because Wieland already has an attractive offer to play quarterback for Northern Illinois.
But now the offer from Iowa probably changes everything.
My guess is that Wieland ends up at Iowa where he could play a number of positions, including outside linebacker or safety.
His style of play as a quarterback doesn’t really fit in Iowa’s pro-style offense, but Wieland has the physical tools to succeed in the Big Ten.
He stands about 6-foot-2, weighs approximately 215 pounds and is athletic. I watched Wieland as a sophomore once dunk the ball with his elbow almost above the rim.
That doesn’t make him a great football player, but it speaks to his athleticism.
Should Wieland ultimately commit to Iowa, he would be the fourth high school senior from a 20-mile radius around Iowa City to join the 2017 class.
The three local players already committed to Iowa’s 2017 class are Solon tight Jacob Coons, Mid-Prairie defensive end Levi Duwa and Mount Vernon offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs.
Throw in Wieland and Martin and that would mean nearly one-fourth of Iowa’s 2017 class is from the Iowa City area.
However, landing Martin might be turning into a longshot with the Feb. 1 national signing day approaching next Wednesday.
Martin reportedly will take his last official visit to Michigan this coming weekend. Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh also visited Martin in Iowa City this week.
So the head coach and four-star receiver appear to be bonding, which isn’t a good sign for Iowa.
As for Wieland, he is similar to many former Iowa players who thrived under Kirk Ferentz despite being lightly recruited in high school. Just because a kid flies under the radar in high school doesn’t mean he can’t soar in college.
Part of the reason Wieland has been overlooked is that he missed almost his entire junior season because of injuries. Junior year is when many recruits blossom on the recruiting trail and start to gain notoriety.
Wieland didn’t have the opportunity to shine as a junior, but he stayed the course and he stayed on Iowa’s radar.
And now he likely will stay home to play college football.