Iowa football recruiting buzz: With July dead period underway, several 2023 targets make decisions

Iowa recruiting buzz: With July dead period underway, several 2023 targets make decisions

Kadyn Proctor’s commitment to Hawkeyes far from only recruiting news from last week

Jul. 6, 2022 3:53 pm, Updated: Jul. 7, 2022 6:43 pm

The last week of Iowa football recruiting had quite the exclamation point.

The Hawkeyes landed Kadyn Proctor, a five-star offensive lineman from Southeast Polk High School, last week. It was the second consecutive recruiting class with a five-star commitment for the Hawkeyes.

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Proctor chose the home-state Hawkeyes over Alabama. He also had offers from a litany of college football powerhouses and opted against some schools with alluring NIL opportunities.

“I’ve had schools say a quarter million a year, a million a year,” Proctor told KCCI in Des Moines after his commitment. “It’s just crazy to me. … Yeah, making money is nice, but the goal is to get to the NFL, where you make that money.”

While Proctor’s commitment was the major highlight of the last week, plenty of other Iowa targets made decisions — either narrowing their lists or committing to a school — after the beginning of the dead period on the NCAA recruiting calendar.

Also committed to Iowa

Zach Ortwerth, a 2023 tight end from St. Louis, committed to Iowa on July 4. The three-star prospect also took official visits to Wisconsin, Minnesota and Pittsburgh, per 247Sports.

Ortwerth is the 39th-best tight end in 247Sports’ composite rankings.

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Narrowed list

Class of 2023 defensive end Jordan Allen included the Hawkeyes in his top four schools along with Missouri, Iowa State and Kansas State.

Allen narrowed his list about a week after his official visit to Iowa. The three-star prospect hails from Olathe, Kan., the same hometown as Iowa wide receiver Arland Bruce IV.

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Class of 2023 defensive backs Caden Jenkins and Cameren Jenkins — yes, they’re twins — unveiled their top five schools, and Iowa made the cut on both lists.

The twins from Lewisville, Texas, have three-star ratings from Rivals although 247Sports has not rated them yet. Iowa, SMU and Oregon State were finalists for both prospects.

Caden Jenkins also has Baylor and Arkansas on his list while Cameren Jenkins is considering Grambling State and UTSA.

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Committed elsewhere

Charles Jagusah, a four-star 2023 offensive lineman from Rock Island, Ill., committed to Notre Dame on June 30. Jagusah received an offer from Iowa in January 2021, but he did not take an official visit to Iowa City.

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Trevor Buhr, a three-star defensive lineman in the 2023 class from Washington, Mo., chose Iowa State over Iowa. The Hawkeyes and Cyclones were the only two programs to host Buhr for an official visit, per Rivals and 247Sports, with the Iowa visit occurring less than a week before his commitment.

Iowa already has three defensive linemen committed in the 2023 class.

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Class of 2024 quarterback Dante Reno committed to South Carolina after receiving scholarship offers from several Power Five schools, including Iowa in February 2021. Reno is from Windsor, Conn. — a part of former quarterbacks coach Ken O’Keefe’s recruiting territory.

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George Burhenn, a 2023 tight end from Fortville, Ind., committed to Purdue on July 1. The three-star prospect was among the many recruits who took their official visits to Iowa at the end of June.

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Class of 2023 four-star defensive lineman Joshua Mickens committed to LSU on Sunday. Iowa offered him a scholarship in September 2021, but he did not take an official visit to Iowa City.