6-9 Illinois OL Cannon Leonard commits to Iowa football
IOWA CITY, Iowa – A 6-foot-9 high school senior-to-be from Illinois has committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes, but not in the sport you might think considering his size.
Cannon Leonard, a 6-foot-9, 265-pound offensive lineman, who has a 7-foot wingspan, announced his verbal commitment to the Iowa football team Tuesday on Twitter.
The Danforth, Illinois native visited Iowa on Monday and received a scholarship offer from Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz while on the visit.
Leonard then talked it over with his family before committing to Iowa.
Leonard attended an Iowa camp earlier this month and apparently performed well enough to convince Kirk Ferentz that he deserved a scholarship.
Iowa is the first Power Five opportunity for Leonard, whose other scholarship offers include Army, Northern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Ball State, Florida Atlantic, Fordham, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Long Island, Illinois State, Eastern Illinois, Western Illinois, and Yale.
Leonard attends Iroquois High School in Gilman, Illinois where he also excels in basketball and track and field.
Gilman is the 12th player to commit to Iowa’s 2023 recruiting class.
He is ranked as a three-star recruit by Rivals and is believed to be the tallest offensive lineman to commit to Iowa since 6-10 Michigan native Paul Sturgill in the mid-1990s.