By Tyler Devine

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Iowa football team has always had recruiting success in Florida, but its success in the rest of the Southeast has picked up in recent years.

Part of that success is due to running backs coach Derrick Foster’s familiarity with the area.

Since Foster came to Iowa in 2018, the Hawkeyes have signed two Alabama natives and two Georgia natives.

Iowa has one Alabama native signed to its 2020 recruiting class in three-star defensive back Reginald Bracy.

During a signing day press conference on Wedneday, Foster indicated that it is less about location and more about education when recruiting in the Southeast.

“You’ve got to go down there and educate them about what we have to offer,” Foster said. “And then, it’s one thing to talk about it, it’s another thing to get them up here. You would be amazed by the responses that we get once they get on campus. They get here and this is not what they expected.”

Linebacker Jayden McDonald, a Georgia native, has since left the program, but true freshman running back Tyler Goodson has become a fan favorite.

Goodson, a native of Suwanee, Ga., rushed for a team-leading 590 yards after starting the season fourth on the depth chart.

According to Foster, Iowa's presence in the Southeast is gaining steam.

“I think the name is really buzzing a lot more,” Foster said. “The fact is, not a lot of those guys down there don’t wake up watching Big Ten football. And it’s nothing against Iowa, it’s nothing against Ohio State, it’s nothing against any other conference school that we play against. It’s just the fact of the matter of where they’re located.”