A closer look at the Iowa football team’s 2017 local shopping spree
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The 2017 senior class in Iowa made it easy for Kirk Ferentz to shop local.
Six of the 22 players in the Iowa football team’s 2017 recruiting class are from Iowa, including five from eastern Iowa and four from within a 25-mile radius of Iowa City.
Those kinds of numbers aren’t unprecedented, but they are rare.
A tight end from Solon, a defensive end from Mid-Prairie, an offensive lineman from Mount Vernon and a linebacker from Iowa City are all part of Iowa’s 2017 class, along with an offensive lineman from Bettendorf and one from Madrid.
"That wasn't necessarily by design," Ferentz said. "We want to get the best guys in the state, that's always by design. Sometimes, they're going to be close, sometimes they may be in the far west. We have a lot of guys from the northwest corner of our state that's just one of the things that happened this year."
I’ve had the privilege to watch five of the six in-state recruits play in person, the exception being Madrid offensive lineman Coy Kirkpatrick. He is intriguing just from the standpoint that he's now listed as an offensive lineman by Iowa after being considered a defensive end throughout the recruiting process.
The other five are intriguing prospects in their own right, and I feel comfortable saying that after seeing most of them play multiple times in high school.
I probably should have written this closer to the national signing day on Feb. 1, but recruiting never gets old does it?
Here is a closer look at the five recruits in the 2017 class from eastern Iowa:
Jacob Coons, TE, 6-3, 220, Solon – The first thing you notice with Coons is his rare combination of power, size and finesse. He made plays in traffic and in space while seeing action at tight end, receiver, defensive end and linebacker.
Coons also started at center on the Solon basketball team, using the same combination of power and finesse to be effective.
He plays both sports with a nasty streak. He isn’t dirty, but he isn’t nice, either. He competes to the whistle and seems to enjoy contact.
Iowa lists Coons as a tight end, but he could play multiple positions in college. A lot will depend on how his body responds to the daily impact from training under Iowa strength coach Chris Doyle.
Solon football coach Kevin Miller told me early in Coons’ junior season that he thinks Coons ultimately could grow into an offensive tackle.
Coons looks as if he could easily add 60 to 70 pounds to his frame.
Coons was a three-year letterman at Solon, earning third-team all-state accolades as a senior. He fits the Iowa mold in so many ways from his versatility to being lightly recruited outside of Iowa.
Levi Duwa, DE, 6-3, 235, Wellman – He reminds me of former Iowa defensive tackle and Mount Vernon graduate Matt Kroul in so many ways.
Assuming Duwa fully recovers from a leg injury, he just looks the part of an Iowa defensive lineman. He was a disruptive force at Mid-Prairie High School, earning first-team all-state as a senior and second-team as a junior. He led Class 2A in sacks as a junior and holds the schools record with 19 career sacks.
Iowa lists Duwa as a defensive end, but don’t be surprised if he grows into a tackle.
Duwa also excels in wrestling, placing second at the state tournament as a junior in 2016. He missed his senior year with an injury.
His prowess as a wrestler shows that Duwa is good at arm-to-arm combat and at gaining leverage in individual matchups. That usually helps in the football trenches.
Nate Wieland, LB, 6-1, 220, Iowa City – Not to toot my own horn, but I felt that Wieland as a sophomore would eventually be worthy of receiving a football scholarship to Iowa. The offer finally came just a few days before the national signing day on Feb. 1.
In this case, better late than never.
Wieland turned down a chance to be a dual-threat quarterback for Northern Illinois in order to play linebacker for Iowa. That should tell you something about his athleticism and his toughness.
Wieland also started at point guard for the City High basketball team as a sophomore.
In fact, I watched Wieland one time as a sophomore dunk the ball on a breakaway layup in which his elbow was above the rim.
That doesn’t make Wieland a can’t-miss football prospect, but it shows his athleticism.
Wieland was an explosive, physical player in high school. He was fullback masquerading as a quarterback.
He earned a scholarship to Iowa despite missing almost his entire junior season because of an injury.
He reminds me of more athletic Bo Bower or Ben Niemann.
Tristan Wirfs, OL, 6-5, 315, Mount Vernon – He isn’t nearly as decorated as five-star defensive end recruit A.J. Epenesa, but Wirfs is an enormous talent himself.
He reminded us of that by winning a state title in wrestling earlier this month. Wirfs now will try to defend his state titles in the shot put and discus this spring.
It’s easy to underestimate or take an instate recruit for granted because we see them play more frequently and because Iowa isn’t considered a fertile recruiting area.
Put a player of Wirf’s caliber in Chicago or Los Angeles and his light would shine even brighter.
But there is no questioning his potential. Wifts moves exceptionally well for somebody his size and is a brute in terms of physical strength.
Mark Kallenberger, OL, 6-6, 260, Bettendorf – He was a skinny sophomore when I watched him play for the first time. But even then, he played with a nasty edge and was physical at the point of attack.
Kallenberger has since gained a few pounds, but he still almost looks skinny, which means he is just waiting to be Doyle-lized. He moves well laterally for a lineman and knows how to use his hands to his advantage.
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