By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Veteran recruiting analyst Tom Lemming believes that Kirk Ferentz is the greatest Iowa football coach of all time, even better than the legendary Hayden Fry.

“I just think the consistency over the long run I would go with Kirk,” Lemming said Friday in a telephone interview.

Lemming made that comment about Kirk Ferentz after being asked if he was surprised that Detroit native and four-star recruit Marcello Vitti recently committed to Iowa over scholarship offers from Michigan, Michigan Sate, Penn State and Tennessee among others schools.

Lemming ranks the 6-foot, 190-pound Vitti as one of the top players from Michigan in 2026 senior class.

“Iowa does a good job, and Iowa is Big Ten program, too,” Lemming said. “They had good year, so it doesn’t surprise me.”

Lemming started evaluating and ranking high school football recruits in the late 1970s and right about same time as when Hayden Fry was named the Iowa head coach in late 1978.

Lemming has watched Iowa sustain success over four decades, and he often has praised Kirk Ferentz and his staff for their ability to identity and develop recruits.

Iowa has earned a reputation under Kirk Ferentz for turning unheralded recruits into star players, and is some cases, future NFL players.

But Vitti’s situation is different in that he is far from unheralded judging from his offer list and his four-star ranking.

“I really like him.” Lemming said of Vitti. “I’ve seen him the last two years. He’s very, versatile, very athletic. Kick returner, wide receiver, running back (defensive back), he’s everything.

“He could play anything. He’s a very good athlete.”

Vitti reportedly finished his junior season with 1,614 total yards of offense and 25 touchdowns. He rushed for 815 yards and 16 touchdowns and had 24 catches for 579 yards and eight scores.

On defense, he had 76 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, 10 pass breakups and a fumble recovery.

He also reportedly didn’t allow a single reception for positive yards in man coverage.

He also returned a kickoff for a touchdown.

Iowa is reportedly recruiting Vitti mostly as a defensive back, which would put him under the watchful eye of veteran defensive coordinator Phil Parker, who also coaches the Iowa defensive backs.

Parker was a three-time first-team All-Big Ten safety for Michigan State in the 1980s and he is now widely recognized as one of the top defensive coordinators in college football.

Asked if he thinks Vitti is better on offense or defense, Lemming said:

“Either way. I think he’s an explosive offensive player. But if Iowa likes him at safety, he can play there, too. He could play corner, safety and return kicks.”