Joshua Mickens Hoping to Visit Iowa Soon
'23 4-Star Indianapolis D-End High on the Hawkeyes
Joshua Mickens stands out beyond his football exploits. And he’s really good at the sport.
The Rivals four-star Class of 2023 defensive end was presented with the Outstanding Character Award from the Kawanis Club of Castleton, Ind. in April. He’s been presented with a whole lot of Power 5 football scholarship offers since then.
Rutgers, Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas and Boston College have come forward since the spring as did Group of 5 stalwart, Cincinnati. Indiana, Iowa State, Michigan State and Purdue had offered rides to the Indianapolis Lawrence Central High standout before that.
The Hawkeyes jumped in last week. Defensive line coach Kelvin Bell has established a good reputation in the city and secured talent from there for the Hawkeyes.
“I was very excited when I received the offer from Iowa,” Mickens told HawkFanatic.com. “Coach Bell offered me. He said he saw me as a great fit at Iowa.”
Mickens (6-5, 225) has gotten off to a strong start through five games this season. The junior has produced 29 tackles (19 solo, 7.5 for loss). He’s tallied 2.5 sacks, forced three fumbles and recovered another.
When he’s not terrorizing opposing offenses, Mickens has paid attention to what schools recruiting him are doing. He’s watched Iowa kick off the season at 3-0 and rise to No. 5 in the national rankings.
“What stands out to me is how great Iowa is doing, first and foremost, and how their defense is one of the best in the country,” he said.
Mickens speaks with other prospects checking out the Hawkeyes. They like to compare notes.
“The number of recruits interested in Iowa stands out to me as well as how cool the coaches are,” he said.
Mickens wants to visit Iowa soon and is targeting its game against Penn State on Oct. 9 as a possible date.
“I just want to see the great atmosphere of Iowa and see how the team and coaches are overall,” he said.
Mickens says it’s too early to name leaders in his recruitment as he’s still getting to know schools.
“All of them are applying pressure,” he said.
Mickens plans on majoring in Engineering in college.
