New Jersey WR is No. 16 for Iowa

It's probably time to stop shaking your head over the speed of college football recruiting. Summer is winter, June is January and scholarships are flying off the shelves across the country.

Iowa started the summer with two commitments. After last weekend's tailgate event on the UI campus, the Hawkeyes are now up to 16 commitments for the 2016 class, tying for third in the Big Ten (Michigan State has 19 and Michigan 17).

Wide receiver Frank Darby is the latest commit. The 6-1, 180-pounder visited Iowa City last weekend and turned out a decision Monday morning, selecting Iowa over offers from Pittsburgh and Syracuse.

'I'm blessed to say I've committed to the University of Iowa,” Darby tweeted Monday.

As a junior, Darby caught 19 passes for 532 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior at Jersey City Lincoln High School. He chose Iowa over scholarship offers from Pittsburgh, Syracuse, UMass, Liberty, and Towson, among others. Darby was the 34th rated New Jersey prospect on NJ.com's top 50.

Darby participated in a skills camp at Rutgers in early June. NJ.com wrote: 'Darby, the 6-1, 190-pounder, appeared to be a man among boys at times. He has yet to master the intricacies of the wide receiver position, but he's got a great build, is strong, tough, explosive and competitive, which explains why Iowa, Pitt, UMass, Old Dominion and Delaware have thought enough of him to offer.”

When Iowa offered Darby in April, his coach, Robert Hampton, told NJ.com, 'This is a big one for him.”

NJ.com named Darby a second-team all-group 2 selection last fall.

One recurring theme among the recruits who visited Iowa last weekend was the new facility, the Hansen Football Performance Center. It definitely caught Darby's eye.

'My first impression when I came in was the new building they just built for football,” Darby told HawkeyeReport.com. 'I was just like, ‘Wow, it's beautiful in here.'”

Asked about his style as a wide receiver, 'Coaches say I'm explosive and I play like I'm 6-5. They like how I attack the ball and what I do in the open field.”

Darby was the second wide receiver to commit to the Hawkeyes since the weekend, joining Maryland's Devonte Young. Oral commitments are non-binding. The national signing period begins Feb. 4.

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