Croot Loops — RB and TE

Iowa absolutely needed a running back in this class. It went down to the wire and the one it thought it had didn't sign, but Iowa did sign one running back. Depth will be an issue there seemingly from here to eternity, so one is good, one the Hawkeyes can work with.

The last tight end Iowa recruited from Providence Catholic High School was Eric Steinbach. That turned out well ... at a different position ... but it turned out well.

Why doesn't Iowa have more Illinois/Chicago suburbs players? Iowa has shifted focus south, but it still is active in the Chicago area, just not as much as it used to be.

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You have to give the Iowa staff credit for spider sense. They saw that Michigan made the crazy-hot hire of the offseason in Jim Harbaugh. They knew that Karan Higdon, Iowa's running back recruit for 2015 until he wasn't, had people who had feelers out. Iowa stated its case to the bitter end, but last Wednesday, Higdon signed with Michigan and that was that.

Iowa felt it had a strong relationship with Higdon. It also felt strongly about Eric Graham

, a totally off-the-radar running back from Prattville, Ala. Recruiting coordinator Seth Wallace went to Graham's school (Autaugua Academy in Prattville) the week before signing day. Iowa had Graham in for an official visit the weekend before signing day (Feb. 4). So, some due diligence was done before Iowa offered the evening before signing day and Graham accepted (if Higdon would've picked Iowa, the Iowa staff would've been good with two running backs).

Graham still needs his ACT to match his grades. That's a lot of the reason why Wallace went to Prattville and talked to the head master, football coaches and the academy's head counselor. Once some positive news came out about Graham's academic status, schools became interested, Wallace said, but Iowa was embedded and did end up being Graham's lone offer.

Graham rushed for more than 2,400 yards and 33 TDs as a senior.

Rivals: 2 stars Scout: 2 stars 247Sports: 3 stars Composite:

2.33

Depth chart in 2015?

: Let's go with 50-50. Contrary to popular belief, Iowa does have running backs. The depth chart likely goes a little like this: 1a) senior Jordan Canzeri, 1b) LeShun Daniels, 1c) Akrum Wadley, 2) Jonathan Parker, 3) C.J. Hilliard and, just for trolling purposes, 4) Adam Cox, Macon Plewa and John Kenny (hey, fullback/running back could happen again, you don't know.)

Graham (5-9, 195) would have to go through all that 'proving he can block” and all the ritual Iowa skill players have to go through to make it into the circle of trust and then he would have to climb over Canzeri, Daniels and Wadley, at minimum. Realistically, Iowa shouldn't need him in 2015.

Off-the-top-of-my-head Hawkeye comparison: Albert Young

There's some give-and-take here with this comparison. Young was extremely powerful and played a lot of football in traffic. Graham's highlights show some of that power, but mostly fantastic breakaway speed. So, maybe a slightly less powerful but faster Albert Young.

Iowa recruiting coordinator Seth Wallace:

'In a short amount of time, we did as much research on Eric Graham as we could. We actually had his tape for quite awhile, but as you know with Karan's situation, that was a bit of surprise for us. We took the proper steps in making sure that we knew him. I spent an entire day in Prattville and met with all the folks I felt like I needed to meet with. I did a home visit and spent a great deal of time with Eric. I left there with a positive feeling, knowing that we had already done a lot over the phone before going down there. Then, we had him up here and you guys [media] didn't notice. Eric is probably below the radar because there was a point in time where he probably wasn't where he needed to be academically. I met with all the people at the academy he attends and all signs point in the right direction. I think that held him back [in recruiting]. That and he's at a private school. Prattville High School is arguably one of the most powerful programs in the country and definitely in Alabama. He was behind two Division 1 running backs as a freshman and so went to Autauga Academy and did his thing there.”

My take

: Graham's highlights are ridiculous, so let's assume there's going to be a massive jump in competition, speed of the game and all of that. But still, the stop and start is impressive. The balance was impressive. The vision was fantastic (watch the QB flip to him and notice where he takes the ball). He has quick feet and he runs low. He also moves his feet through contact. That video was fun to watch. You can at least see he has the requisite running back instincts.

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Providence Catholic tight end Nate Vejvoda

has played football just four years, which included a Class 7A state championship last fall. the 6-5, 215-pounder caught 44 passes for 638 yards and eight TDs for the Celtics last season.

Vejvoda originally had committed to Miami (Ohio), but flipped his commitment to Iowa in July, just two days after he received the offer from Iowa. Vejvoda's brother, Mitch, is a 6-4, 250-pound tight end for South Dakota State.

Vejvoda's recruitment also included inquiries from Ivy League schools. He was named to the Class 7A all-academic team for football. He also was a four-year member of Providence Catholic's first honor roll and a member of the national honor society.

One recent wrinkle in Vejvoda's recruiting is the possibility of longsnapper. All along, the indication from Iowa coaches was a redshirt in 2015, but lately, they've thrown out the possibility of longsnapper.

Rivals: 3 stars Scout: 3 stars 247Sports: 3 stars Composite:

3.00

Depth chart in 2015?

: Probably not, but the longsnapper deal is intriguing. Sophomore Tyler Kluver (6-0, 220) handled all of that as a redshirt freshman in 2014. If the door is open and Vejvoda shows skill, there could be a possibility for some early playing time. As a TE? Probably not. Iowa will have seniors in Jake Duzey and Henry Krieger-Coble and junior George Kittle. Sophomore Jon Wisnieski also is coming off a torn ACL and should be in the mix for playing time. Junior Peter Pekar was one of Iowa's most consistent walk-ons in 2014. Iowa shouldn't need Vejvoda at TE in 2015.

Off-the-top-of-my-head Hawkeye comparison: Scott Chandler

Vejvoda might never be as productive as Scott Chandler, but he starts with roughly the same build, minus a couple of inches of course. Chandler was a thin-ish 6-7 high school wide receiver who eventually grew into the tight end position. He caught 93 passes in his junior and senior seasons. Vejvoda needs college weightroom time, but if you watch his highlights, you'll notice he split out and ran in stacked WR sets at Providence. He wasn't just an in-line TE.

Iowa recruiting coordinator Seth Wallace:

'Nate is going to be a tight end. We had an opportunity to work with him when we did our satellite camp in Chicago. We invited him over after that. We didn't waste much time, because he's your typical tight end-size that we've typically gone after. Very athletic basketball player. He's also a very good longsnapper. That really is where you'd like to find your longsnappers, with that type of frame, with that type of athleticism. We're excited, first and foremost, as a tight end, but he's also got some value on special teams.”

My take:

You can see a couple of things from his highlights: He's got pretty good wheels and body control for a 6-5 prep. Also, he needs some work on technique. His prep coaches set him up for some 'jump ball” type passes on the goal line, but Vejvoda let the ball come to him, he didn't go up and get it. It's not a bad thing, and it still worked and half of that execution is up to where the QB throws the ball (in this case, it was more back-shoulder than jump ball). How is he as a blocker? Well, you don't see that on the tape. The one sign of future success there is the fact that his brother is a 250-pound tight end at SDSU. That at least shows that he has the genetics to put on Big Ten TE weight.

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