A look at Iowa's latest recruiting rush

There's probably a month or maybe a month and a half before Iowa football's recruiting operations kick into season mode.

You might see another wave or two like the Hawkeyes had last weekend, when the Iowa staff held a tailgater get-together and collected a trio of commitments.

Monday afternoon, Wisconsin offensive lineman Jack Plumb announced his commitment to Iowa on Twitter. The 6-8, 240-pounder had 11 offers, including one from home-state Wisconsin and Michigan State. These are programs that, like the Hawkeyes, rely on winning the lines of scrimmage to make their way in the Big Ten. In recruiting or on the field, when Iowa can tangle with the Badgers and Spartans and win, it's a big deal.

Plumb is Iowa's ninth commitment for 2018. Offensive line coach Tim Polasek is from Wisconsin and those roots now have produced commitments from Plumb and Balsam Lake O-lineman Cody Ince. Plumb is Iowa's second commitment from Green Bay in the last two months. Preble running back Henry Geil (recruited by linebackers coach Seth Wallace) committed to Iowa in April.

Iowa also picked up two commitments for the 2019 class. Norwalk offensive lineman Tyler Endres (6-6, 280) and Orion (Ill.) tight end Logan Lee (6-5, 225) also committed last weekend. They give Iowa three commits for the 2019 class, joining Ridge View High School (Holstein) offensive lineman Ezra Miller.

Plumb is a rated a 3-star prospect by Rivals. Endres and Lee have yet to be rated by Rivals.

Let's take a look at the Hudl highlights and see what we see.

OT Jack Plumb

Noteworthy

: Both of his grandfathers coached in the NFL. The late Fritz Shurmur was defensive coordinator for the Packers Super Bowl winner in 1997. Ted Plumb coached in the NFL from 1974 to 1997. They worked together on the Phoenix Cardinals staff from 1991 to 1993.

Quoteworthy: 'It just felt right when I was on campus,' Plumb told HawkeyeReport.com shortly after his announcement. 'The history of the tight end to offensive linemen at Iowa really interested me and the way they were involved from the beginning.'

Hudl view

: Bay Port is a WIAA Division 1 school, the largest division in Wisconsin prep football. Plumb dominated this level. He'll need to refine technique. At 6-8, most defenders couldn't shed the avalanche of a human who was coming at them.

Plumb shows great athleticism in his highlights. Looks light on his feet and glides out of his stance. Well coached, seems conscious of his steps and how important his feet are. Engages defenders with his hands, stays engaged and finishes. He ended a ton of his highlight plays on top of defenders and on the ground.

He caught 10 passes for 200 yards and four TDs, so he has wheels and body control. This should make him a fit for Iowa's zone blocking scheme, which demands athleticism.

OT Tyler Endres

Noteworthy:

Offers from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa State, so, basically, if you want to throw out the tempering aspect of recruiting (and we should NEVER do this, but ...), Endres is winning the Heartland Trophy, Floyd of Rosedale and Cy-Hawk in one fell swoop. OK, now back to keeping things in perspective. It's a long way until signing day for the 2019 commits.

Quoteworthy: This has to be music to a coach's ears. This is Endres on the favorite part of his Iowa visit: 'Watching practice,' he told HawkeyeReport.com. 'I learned how they practice and what they do before practice. I learned how the coaches are during practice.'

Hudl view

: Shows good feet and athleticism. You can tell Endres has been coaches well. Keeps his knees bent and head up. He really has a plan of attack as a pass blocker. He punches with his hands. His hands and feet work together. Norwalk's offense has a few plays with some complex exchanges. Endres has to show a down block and then pick up the outside defender. No drop off here, impressive for a 6-6, 280 pounder.

He did lose leverage on outside rushers a few times, but size and strength was more than enough to pull him through. Seems to really enjoy blocking down and burying defenders. Strong player with a finisher's mentality (he threw a few blocks at the echo of the whistle in this vid).

TE Logan Lee

Noteworthy

: Lee has nine offers, including Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Minnesota and a couple of outliers from the SEC in Mississippi and Missouri. Lee is an excellent get for the Hawkeyes. As with Endres, it's a long way to 2019 signing day, but ...

Quoteworthy

: Iowa was Lee's first offer and he fell in love the everything Iowa.

'Iowa was my first offer and my first visit. I didn't see any point in waiting any longer because I knew Iowa was the right fit for me,' Lee told HawkeyeReport.com. 'Everything from the coaches, the facilities, to academics and the way they use their tight ends just felt right.'

Hudl view

: Lee might be the all-time tight end leader in blocks thrown on a Hudl video. Blocks lead receptions at least 2 to 1. He also had some defensive highlights.

Lee shows the stuff of a quintessential Iowa TE. Played inline, offset and H-back. I don't know what's in his heart or mind out there, but this video shows a player who loves to block, loves to tangle, crazes contact, stays under control and moves defenders.

Lee's feet really start to churn when he engages defenders. Good in space. Keeps his head up and finds the target.

Just like Plumb and Endres, Lee is a nasty finisher. He knows when setting the edge for the offense falls on him. This usually forces him to block a smaller, quicker player in space. He really stars in this role.

Lee has a plan of attack as a blocker and sticks to it. He consistently gets his hands inside and his feet on top of the defender's feet. There's no coming back from that if you're on defense.

Iowa will go into 2017 with an array of TEs. They all have different strengths. Senior Peter Pekar is going to block. Sophomore Noah Fant also is going to block, but he also might be split out and likely will be given a chance to attack defenses down the seam.

Given what Iowa is and what head coach Kirk Ferentz wants his offense to do, tight ends always will need to thrive as blockers first and then find their place in the passing game. Lee is a more-than-willing blocker. He initiates contact.

As a receiver — we're going strictly off this Hudl video — Lee ran a lot of quick outs. He made quick cuts, showed good hands and didn't shy away from tacklers. This is the part of his game that will develop at Iowa. The blocking is there. Usually, that's the hard part for high school tight ends.

l Comments: (319) 398-8256; marc.morehouse@thegazette.com