Iowa's final four for '11 recruiting (perhaps)

The Iowa Hawkeyes are holding steady at 20 in the final days of 2011 football recruiting.

That could change before this story is posted.

Iowa is actively recruiting a handful of players going into Wednesday, when the national signing period begins. The Hawkeyes are in the running for DeMatha High School (Hyattsville, Md.) trio Cyrus Kouandjio, Darian Cooper and Jordan Lomax and a running back or two.

First, Kouandjio is a stretch, Rivals national recruiting analyst Mike Farrell told The Gazette. Kouandjio is a 6-7, 325-pound offensive lineman and one of the top prospects in the country. Farrell said he's pointed toward Alabama, where he has a brother.

"He's also not a big fan of cold weather," Farrell said. "I think he said it was 11 degrees when he visited [Iowa]."

Lomax, a 5-10, 185-pound defensive back, visited Iowa this weekend and appears to be considering the Hawkeyes and Virginia.

Cooper, a 6-1, 275-pound defensive tackle, is being courted by Iowa, Michigan State and Georgia Tech. Farrell called him a "wait and see" for Iowa.

Indiana running back Remound Wright was slated to visit Iowa City this weekend, but didn't. Wright committed to Stanford early and says on his Twitter profile that he is playing football at Stanford next season. Running back Jordan Canzeri, a 5-9, 177-pounder from Troy, N.Y., also remains in play, according to HawkeyeReport.com.

Maryland defensive back Jeremiah Hendy (6-1, 188) also remains in play, but Rivals.com has him centering on Maryland or Virginia.

The national signing period begins Wednesday morning.

Iowa already has one recruit signed and in Iowa City. Iowa Western Community College offensive lineman Dan Heair is enrolled after signing his letter of intent in December. Here is Heair's profile on the running blog that the UI will keep for signing day as letters of intent are faxed into Iowa City.

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This is something I pitched into a Big Ten recruiting project by the Omaha World-Herald.

Head of the class -- RB Rodney Coe

Rodney Coe, out of Edwardsville (Ill.) High School, is a big back at 6-3, 230. Iowa loves big backs, with 6-0, 230-pounder Marcus Coker proving that in the Insight Bowl.

Coe, who had 19 offers, played linebacker in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He has the body type that could project to a lot of different positions, but he appears to be set at running back at least going into next fall in Iowa City.

Hidden gem -- WR Marcus Grant

 The 6-2, 190-pounder from Lawrence Academy in Groton, Mass., was an early commitment, so he didn't get a heavy look from national scouting services. He's coming into a position of need and has the size, skill set and worth ethic to maybe make a splash.

Immediate impact -- Coe

A quick Twitter vote gave this to Coe by two votes over Maryland safety Nico Law. Running back has been a sinkhole for the Hawkeyes. They'll go into spring football with two running backs on scholarship (Coker and DeAndre Johnson). Coe and Mikail McCall are slated to sign, but Iowa also is working on Remound Wright, a 5-9, 190-pounder.

Running backs are a critical need for Iowa, and that likely opens the door for Coe and maybe one or two others.

Big miss -- Cyrus Kouandjio

The cows aren't quite in the corn on recruiting, and Cyrus Kouandjio is giving Iowa a long look, but the Hawkeyes remain a long shot to land the ready-made 6-7, 322-pounder. He did visit Iowa last weekend. He hates the cold and told Rivals.com that it was “take-your-breathe-away cold.” Iowa is still in it, but it'd be considered maybe the recruiting upset of the season. Kouandjio could walk into one of the open guard spots, something Bryan Bulaga did as a true freshman before he switched to left tackle. Bulaga is preparing for the Super Bowl as the Green Bay Packers' right tackle.

You tell me who's what in the 2011 class.

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Iowa's last commitment was Jan. 11 (LB Quinton Alston).

Quinton Alston, 6-1, 235, LB, Timber Creek High School (Sicklerville, N.J.)

Mikail McCall, 6-0, 210, RB, Thornridge (Dolton, Ill.) High School

Rodney Coe, 6-4, 240, RB, Edwardsville (Ill.) High School

Jacob Hillyer, 6-4, 190, WR, Somerset (Texas) High School

Dan Heiar, 6-5, 285, OL, Iowa Western Community College (Northeast Goose Lake)

Nicholas Law, 6-2, 190, S, Bishop McNamara High School (Forestville, Md.)

Melvin Spears, 6-2, 230, LB, Allen (Texas) High School

Jordan Walsh, 6-3, 275, OL, Glenbard West (Glen Ellyn, Ill.)

Torrey Campbell, 5-11, 180, CB, Barron Collier High School (Naples, Fla)

Cole Fisher, 6-3, 200, LB, Millard North (Omaha, Neb.) High School

Mike Orloff, 6-2, 215, LB, Lawrence Academy (Groton, Mass.)

Riley McMinn, 6-7, 220, DE, Rochester (Ill.) High School

Jake Duzey, 6-4, 225, TE, Athens High School (Troy, Michigan)

Jake Rudock, 6-3, 185, QB, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

John Raymon, 6-5, 240, DE, Council Rock North High School (New Town, Penn.)

Ray Hamilton, 6-5, 225, TE, Strongsville (Ohio) High School

Austin Vincent, 6-2, 170, WR, DeSoto (Texas) High School

Henry Krieger-Coble, 6-4, 220, TE, Mount Pleasant High School

Austin Blythe, 6-3, 280, OL, Williamsburg High School

Marcus Grant, 6-2, 190, WR Lawrence Academy (Groton, Mass.)