Iowa Western defensive lineman Malcolm Lee excited by Iowa offer

By Tyler Devine

IOWA CITY, Iowa – As a native of Omaha, Neb., Malcolm Lee grew up a fan of Big Ten football.

The Iowa Western Community College defensive end now has the opportunity to play in the Big Ten after receiving a scholarship offer from Iowa on Wednesday.

Lee is excited for the chance to play close to home and for a team he has admired for years.

“It feels fantastic,” Lee said. “I’ve always been a huge fan of Big Ten football. I love how it’s played, I love this whole region of the country. It’s huge on my part. 

“It’s definitely a huge target for me personally. It’s relatively close to home, lots of history and a fairly consistent program so I’m really happy that I picked this one up.”

The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Lee also has offers from Central Florida, Houston, Florida Atlantic, Iowa State, Louisville, Ohio and Southern Mississippi but said that if he had to make his decision now, he would be a Hawkeye.

“I didn’t get a whole lot of attention in high school from Football Bowl Subdivision schools but it’s always been a school that’s in the back of my mind,” Lee said. “There have been a couple guys from Omaha that have gone over to Iowa City. For me it’s just a huge offer. If I had to commit today I’d probably be going over to Iowa City.”

Lee credits Iowa Western’s pedigree for turning lesser-known high school players into FBS recruits for helping garner the attention of schools.

“When you go to Iowa Western you become a national recruit,” Lee said. “When you come from an area like Omaha you’re not really going to get a lot of attention from big time schools because they don’t visit there a lot.

“I’ve also just improved my game overall, especially my speed and strength. I think that has helped my case a lot.”

Lee finished last season with 43 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss and five sacks.

Iowa currently has two former Iowa Western players on its roster in senior receiver Nick Easley and sophomore defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon.

Iowa’s 2019 recruiting class

Tyler Endres, OL, 6-6, 280, Norwalk, Iowa

Logan Lee, TE, 6-5, 225, Orion, Ill.

Ezra Miller, OL, 6-6, 310, Holstein, Iowa

Noah Fenske, OL, 6-5, 280, New Hampton, Iowa

Jack Campbell, LB, 6-4, 210, Cedar Falls, Iowa

Sebastian Castro, DB, 6-1, 198, Oak Lawn, Ill.

Desmond Hutson, WR, 6-4, 190, Raytown, Mo.

Jestin Jacobs, LB, 6-4, 205, Clayton, Ohio

Jake Karchinksi, DL, 6-5, 245, De Pere, Wis.