Two Illinois recruits taking a hard look at Iowa
By Tyler Devine
IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Iowa football team finds itself in a good position with two recruits from Illinois. Especially after what happened on Sunday.
High school junior linebacker Jack Sanborn, a native of Lake Zurich, Ill., had another opportunity to visit the Iowa campus on Sunday during Iowa's Junior Day event, while the weekend provided a couple of firsts for 2019 running back Jirehl Brock.
Sanborn and Brock were two of over 70 recruits who attended Iowa's junior day activities on Sunday.
Brock, a native of Quincy, Ill., made his first visit to Iowa, and that resulted in his first scholarship offer.
"It's like a dream come true," said the 6-foot, 186-pound Brock on Sunday. "Where I'm from you don't hear many people getting offers from big division one colleges like Iowa and I am just so blessed that I did."
As a four-star recruit, Sanborn has multiple offers to play college football, but Iowa currently ranks as one of his favorites.
Sanborn's latest visit reinforced his interest in Iowa, but he wants to keep his options open while moving forward.
"They are one fo the five or six schools that I am going to be continuing to keep an eye on," Sanborn said. "They are near the top of my list.
"I don't have a specific list but I like Duke, Iowa and Wisconsin at this point. I will be making it out to other schools though to learn more. Those aren't the only three schools I'm looking at."
Brock said the Iowa coaches like what they see from him on film and believe he would fit nicely into Iowa's run-oriented scheme.
"They said that they ran the ball and I run the ball," Brock said. "They like what they saw on my highlight tape and they know I can play football. Obviously there's stuff I can improve on. But with just being a sophomore there is time to improve and they know that I have time."
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Sanborn appreciated the opportunity to get a better look at the UI campus this weekend.
"It went well," Sanborn said. "My mom and I had a great time and it was nice to be on campus again. I don't know if there was a specific part I would call my favorite. It was just nice to have a chance to talk with all of the coaches again and most of the other recruits."
Iowa's no-nonsense and unselfish style of play is what stands out most to Sanborn.
"I like what the program stands for," Sanborn said. "It is a lot bigger than just one guy and they take pride in being the hardest working and toughest team which I like."
Brock is likley to receive more scholarship offers, but the Iowa offer always will stand out because it is his first offer.
"No doubt (they will always be in the converstation)," Brock said. "I mean, I really like what I saw and what I heard today. And everyone knows you always remember your first."
Sanborn said he's thinking about making his college decision in the spring or early summer, while Brock said he still is feeling out the process and would like to wait until his senior year to make a decision.
Sanborn also has offers from Indiana, Iowa State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Syracuse and Vanderbilt.