Where Iowa football’s 2023 recruiting class stands after Kadyn Proctor’s decommitment

IOWA CITY — Iowa’s 2023 football recruiting class had a setback Tuesday with the decommitment of five-star offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor, who flipped his choice to Alabama.

Proctor would have been the highest-rated recruit to come to Iowa and would have been an instant boost to an offensive line that had a rough 2022 season.

But even without Proctor, Iowa’s 2023 recruiting class remains on par with past years.

Rivals ranks the class 27th nationally, and 247Sports has Iowa slotted 35th. Iowa’s previous five recruiting classes have averaged a ranking of 33.8 from 247Sports and Rivals.

Iowa’s 2023 verbal commitments

OL Trevor Lauck (Indianapolis)

With Proctor gone, Lauck now is the highest-rated recruit in Iowa’s 2023 class with four-star ratings from Rivals and the 247Sports Composite.

Lauck committed in the summer after taking visits to Michigan State and Iowa. Other offers included Ohio State, Michigan and Tennessee.

DL Maddux Borcherding-Johnson (Norwalk)

Borcherding-Johnson, a 6-foot-3, 270-pound defensive lineman, has three-star ratings from Rivals and 247Sports. The Norwalk standout was the first 2023 prospect to commit to the Hawkeyes, making his decision in July 2021.

LB Ben Kueter (Iowa City)

Kueter is committed to play football and wrestle at Iowa. The Iowa City native was one of five finalists for the high school Butkus Award, which goes to the top linebacker in the country.

QB Marco Lainez (Princeton, N.J.)

Lainez is 42nd nationally in 247Sports’ rankings of 2023 quarterback recruits and fifth among Big Ten quarterbacks. His other offers included Maryland, Michigan State, Illinois and Louisville.

DL Chase Brackney (Englewood, Colo.)

Brackney committed to Iowa in February, choosing the Hawkeyes over USC, Nebraska, Colorado, Oregon State and others. He is the 65th-best edge rusher in the 2023 class, per 247Sports.

WR Alex Mota (Marion)

Mota joined Kueter as the two scholarship recruits from the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City Corridor to stay in the area. He also had offers from Iowa State, Kansas State, Kansas and Wisconsin, among others.

OL Leighton Jones (Brownsburg, Ind.)

Jones’ hometown of Brownsburg is about an hour away from Purdue’s campus, but the Hawkeyes poached the three-star prospect from Boilermakers’ backyard.

DB John Nestor (Chicago)

Nestor committed to Iowa, turning down offers from Minnesota, Kansas and other schools. The three-star prospect is 67th in 247Sports’ rankings of safeties.

DB Zach Lutmer (Rock Rapids)

Lutmer had FCS offers from South Dakota and South Dakota State before Iowa became the first FBS school to offer him in May. He committed the next day.

DB Aidan Hall (Harlan)

Hall, who committed to Iowa in May, is the 13th-best prospect in the state of Iowa in both 247Sports and Rivals’ rankings.

OL Cannon Leonard (Gilman, Ill.)

Iowa offensive line coach George Barnett recruited Leonard from a very familiar area. Barnett grew up in Tuscola, Ill., which is about 70 miles south from Leonard’s hometown.

Leonard is the 100th-best offensive tackle in 247Sports’ rankings.

TE Zach Ortwerth (St. Louis)

Iowa found its 2023 tight end in a familiar area. Ortwerth, like Sam LaPorta, is from the St. Louis area. Ortwerth’s other offers included Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Pittsburgh.

DL Kenneth Merrieweather (Detroit)

Kenneth Merrieweather — no relation to Iowa safety Kaevon Merriweather — is the latest defensive player to come to Iowa from the Detroit area.

Merrieweather is 73rd among edge rushers in 247Sports’ rankings.

DB Kahlil Tate (Chicago)

Tate was one of the Iowa recruits to commit in the weeks following a busy official visit weekend at the end of June. Rivals ranks Tate 41st among safeties, and 247Sports ranks him 53rd at the position.

DL Anterio Thompson (Council Bluffs)

Thompson, a junior college transfer from Iowa Western, was on a national champion Reivers team in 2022. He earned second-team All-America recognition Tuesday.

RB Kamari Moulton (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)

247Sports ranks Moulton 101st among running backs in his class. Iowa running backs coach Ladell Betts has plenty of familiarity

WR Jarriett Buie (Tampa, Fla.)

Buie went to the same high school as former Iowa safety/linebacker Dane Belton. He is the 183rd-best best wide receiver in the 2023 class, according to 247Sports.

WR Dayton Howard (Kansas City, Mo.)

Howard was one of the latest players to commit to Iowa, choosing the Hawkeyes about a month ago. He is 132nd in 247Sports’ rankings of wide receivers.

DB Teegan Davis (Princeton, Ill.)

Davis, who is 31st among prospects in Illinois per 247Sports, attended camp at Iowa in June. He committed to Iowa on Monday.

RB Terrell Washington Jr. (Wylie, Texas)

Washington, a three-star prospect, was initially committed to Purdue. He reopened his recruitment after Jeff Brohm left the Boilermakers to become the next head coach at Louisville.

OL Kade Pieper (Norfolk, Neb.)

Pieper had offers from South Dakota, North Dakota and North Dakota State before committing to Iowa in November. He has a two-star rating from Rivals, and a three-star rating from 247Sports.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com