By Tyler Devine

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Even as a native of Bridgeport, Conn., three-star quarterback Taisun Phommachanh grew up with the Iowa football team on his radar.

Phommachanh, a 2019 recruit, now has the opportunity to play for the Hawkeyes after receiving a scholarship offer on Wednesday.

“It means a lot,” Phommachanh said. “I watched them a lot coming up as a kid. My family always liked them.”

Possibly helping Iowa’s chance of landing the 6-foot-3, 195-pound Phommachanh is his connection to current Iowa receiver Nico Ragiani, who is Iowa’s most recent addition to its 2018 recruiting class and a former high school teammate of Phommachanh.

Ragiani is already enrolled at Iowa and has told Phommachanh nothing but good things about his experience so far.

“I haven’t really talked to him that much about why he committed,” Phommachanh said. “He says he’s liking it so far.”

Even though he doesn’t know a lot about Iowa, Phommachanh is impressed by how close-knit the program is.

“I like how it’s a family,” Phommachanh said. “All the coaching staff is close, all the players and stuff.”

Phommachanh also has offers from Connecticut, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Pittsburgh and Virginia, but says that he isn’t favoring any schools over the others.

“Iowa is definitely up there but I don’t have any specific order,” Phommachanh said.