Tyler Gant Returns to See Iowa Football
St. Louis DT Has Hawkeyes in Top 5
Each time Tyler Gant has visited Iowa Football he’s picked up more knowledge about the Hawkeyes. That was the case Saturday when he stopped for the program’s junior day.
The St. Louis (MO) Christian Brothers College High defensive tackle first saw the Hawkeyes in person last summer. He returned for a game in October. Saturday, he enjoyed a more intimate experience.
“I had a great visit,” Gant told HF. “We got to do a photoshoot, and then we ate lunch with the coaches. After lunch, we took a facility tour, and after that, I had a one-on-one talk with the head coach (Kirk Ferentz).
“This visit stood out because this time I got to ask questions to a player panel, which it was good to see their perspective on Iowa Football.”
Gant (6-3, 280) placed Iowa in his Top 5 back in December. The Hawkeyes were joined by Wisconsin, where Gant visited Sunday, Arkansas, Iowa State and Kentucky. Saturday, he received a more in-depth understanding of their program.
“I learned a lot more on how they excel in player development, which was interesting,” he said.
Iowa assistants Jay Niemann and LeVar Woods spent a lot of time with Gant Saturday.
“Their message was that Iowa recruits good football players but also great people. They stressed that having great character is just as important as being a great player on the field,” Gant said.
Gant experienced a Hawkeye position meeting during the visit.
“In Iowa’s scheme, I think I’ll play that 3I defensive tackle or just the interior D-Line in general,” he said.
Gant has visited all of his top schools except Kentucky. He attended junior day at Iowa State in January before junior days at Iowa and Wisconsin this past weekend.
“My next step in my recruiting process is to continue building stronger relationships with the coaches that have shown interest in me. And to hopefully make it up to some practices this spring at a variety of universities,” he said.
As a junior, Gant totaled 73 tackles (15 for loss), five sacks and two interceptions during CBC’s state title run. Rivals has ranked him as a three-star prospect, the No. 26 defensive tackle nationally in the 2023 recruiting class and the No. 12 player overall in Missouri for the cycle.