Sources: Derby to Iowa

Iowa City High quarterback A.J. Derby is expected to commit the University of Iowa, sources told The Gazette on Thursday.

The Gazette spoke to Derby and City High coach Dan Sabers before Thursday afternoon's practice. Neither confirmed or denied reports. A press conference will be held Friday. City High (5-0), the N0. 1 team in Class 4A, play host to Cedar Rapids Kennedy at Bates Field tomorrow night. 

Derby, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound quarterback for the Little Hawks, has scholarship offers from pretty much every school in the country, including Florida, Alabama, Miami (Fla.) and Michigan. Derby has put up some impressive stats for the Little Hawks, completing 32 of 56 for 781 yards, seven TDs and only two interceptions. That's a QB rating of 208.4.

Derby's father, John, lettered as a linebacker for the Hawkeyes from 1988-91. He's No. 22 on Iowa's career tackles list with 262. He was one of the defensive leaders for the 1991 Rose Bowl team.

During summer camp, Derby impressed Iowa coaches with his passing ability as a quarterback. He has the body type to play a ton of positions, ranging from linebacker to tight end to defensive end, but Iowa recruited him as a quarterback.

In the summer, the Hawkeyes had an offer out to Georgia quarterback Hutson Mason, but pulled it sometime before the season started, seemingly putting all their QB eggs in with A.J. Derby. The Hutsons were still in contact and planned a visit to Iowa for the Michigan game, but, last week, the message from Iowa was don't hold out hope for an offer from the Hawkeyes.

Derby would be Iowa's 17th commitment. Iowa will sign in the neighborhood of 20 players when the national signing period begins Feb. 3, 2010, coach Kirk Ferentz said this week. Commitments aren't binding until a letter of intent is signed.

Ferentz talked about recruiting Tuesday.

"We're kind of running out of seats on the bus now, too," he said, in the wake of picking up three commits this week. "I'm not complaining about that. We feel really good about where we are at right now."

He was then asked if the class would number around 20 this year.

"Yeah, around that area, I think," he said. "I guess I really can't talk about recruiting other than I really feel good about the guys who are interested in us. They are our kind of guys and maybe we do better with guys that like us when maybe we aren't as pretty."

EDIT: The Daily Iowan is reporting that the news conference will be held at 4 p.m. at City High School. Here's the link.

Also, here's a

link from The Gazette's Scott Dochertman from Sept. 5, quoting Derby as saying he was going to take his official visits before making a decision.