Jaxson Carper traveled halfway across the country to camp at the University of Iowa last week. The trip turned out to be well worth his while. The Hawkeyes offered the California quarterback a scholarship. In addition to the opportunity, he received a vibe from the program.

“Biggest takeaways were they’re building something, for sure, you could just feel it when you get there. I definitely liked the whole coaching staff, for sure. Everyone made me feel super welcomed, you know. Every single person knew my name from the second I got there, which made me feel super welcomed.”   

A flurry of offers came in for Carper this spring. Nebraska, Arizona, Kansas and UCLA have jumped in with the Ventura St. Bonaventure junior. Texas Tech and SMU were in before that.

Early impressions put the Hawkeyes in good position.

“Right now, Iowa is definitely in the Top 5. It’s early, of course, but they are showing a lot of love,” he said.

Carper (6-3, 180) hopes to keep building a relationship with Iowa. That process could include a visit in the fall.

“I’d really like to get a closer look at the culture up there and see how they function on a daily basis. I’m definitely gonna try and get out there for a game-day visit, for sure,” he said.

Carper plans on taking his time with the recruiting process.  

“I’m hoping to commit by next June. That would be ideal. But you never know, it could be June, it could be May or April. I’m gonna just see how it plays out,” he said.

Academics represent a big piece of the equation when it comes to finding a college home.  
 
“I originally wanted to study Engineering, but I think I wanna get more into Business because I wanna start my own recruiting company one day,” he said.

Prep Redzone ranks Carper as the No. 10 quarterback in California’s talent-rich 2028 Class. The service sees him as the No. 37 prospect overall in the state for the cycle.

 In 11 games last season, Carper completed 60.8 percent of his passes for 149.3 yards per game with 14 touchdowns against six interceptions. He added 264 yards (6.8 YPC) and a score on the ground.