IOWA CITY, Iowa – For the second time in less than five years, the Iowa football team has landed a recruit from Michigan whose last name is Merrieweather.

Kenneth Merriweather, a 6-foot-3, 245-pound Detroit native, announced his verbal commitment to Iowa Thursday on Twitter.

He spells his last name different than current Iowa strong safety Kaevon Merriweather, who is from Belleville, Michigan.

But if Kenneth Merrieweather can come close to accomplishing what Kaevon Merriweather has as a Hawkeye, then Iowa has added a key piece to its 2023 class, which now has 16 players committed.

Kenneth Merrieweather is ranked as a three-star athlete by Rivals, but is being recruited as a defensive end by Iowa.

He reportedly has 19 scholarship offers from schools that include Oregon, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Purdue and Pittsburgh.

“Relentless with long arms, quick feet and hands, and an excellent pass rusher,” veteran recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said of Kenneth Merrieweather. “Very impressed with him and his coach loved his work ethic and potential.

Lemming has Kenneth Merrieweather currently ranked as a 3-star recruit with four-star potential.

Merrieweather attends Martin Luther King High School in Detriot, and he  helped lead the Crusaders to a Division 3 state title last November.

Kaevon Merriweather, meanwhile, was part of Iowa’s 2018 recruiting class and is expected to start at strong safety this coming season. He has played a key role in each of the past two seasons and started the 2019 season opener before suffering a foot injury in practice and then taking a redshirt season.

The state of Michigan has been a fertile recruiting territory for Iowa during Kirk Ferentz’s time as head coach. Some of the players from Michigan that have excelled as Hawkeyes under Ferentz include defensive back Desmond King, defensive end Chauncey Golston and defensive tackle Cedrick Lattimore.

https://twitter.com/KMerrieweather/status/1545169939581001730?s=20&t=P4ejA5_5qJZ9eD52gTTePA