Florida running back picks the Hawkeyes

You're probably going to like Kyshaun Bryan.

Yes, he's a running back and he's from Florida, two things that instantly excited Iowa football fans. The 5-10, 185-pounder from St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) announced via Twitter on Monday night that he picked the Hawkeyes over South Carolina and Pitt.

You automatically like all of that if you're an Iowa fan. You'll also like what he had to say to various websites after his commitment.

'The strength coach (Chris Doyle) is what really sold me on Iowa when I was on my visit,' Bryan told HawkeyeReport.com. 'I'm excited to get up there in June and start working with him.'

OK, you like that. A running back commits and he's already thinking about workouts. That's kind of what you're shooting for with running backs and their attitudes.

Even though he's listed at 5-10, 185, Bryan, rated a 3-star by Rivals, considers himself a power runner. You already know how Iowa feels about power runners (it pretty much prefers them).

'They love the type of back I am and said I would fit perfectly in their scheme,' Bryan told HawkeyeReport.

Bryan told Ryan Bartow of 247Sports.com, 'Come in and compete to play on the field. The coaches have been there for years and know how to win. It's in the Big Ten and they have the greatest offensive line in college football.'

Well, Iowa's O-line did just win the Joe Moore Award, given annually to the nation's top offensive line.

And when Bryan tweeted about his commitment, he wrote 'Taking South Florida Swag to Iowa.' It also had a palm tree emoji and a GIF that flashed from Bryan's St. Thomas Aquinas uniform to an Iowa uniform.

Taking South Florida Swag to Iowa by: @Soflosauce pic.twitter.com/qk23NsBDyZ

— Kyshaun Bryan (@KyshaunB)

All good stuff from Bryan, too.

As a senior, Bryan finished with 107 carries for 737 yards and seven touchdowns this past season at St. Thomas Aquinas. Why only 706 yards?

Bryan played his junior year at Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage School before transferring across town to St. Thomas Aquinas for his senior season. St. Thomas Aquinas had an established running back in Mike Epstein, an Illinois commit who recently received an offer from Utah. The two split carries with Epstein rushing for 1,187 yards and 16 TDs on 162 carries.

Bryan committed to South Carolina in April. On Saturday, he announced on Twitter that he decomitted. Bryan visited Iowa last weekend.

Bryan is commit No. 18 for the Hawkeyes, with three (Bryan, Iowa City linebacker Nate Wieland and Georgia defensive back Trey Creamer) coming Monday. Bryan also was Iowa's second 'flip' commitment Monday, although he did say he decommitted from South Carolina. Iowa got Bryan and Creamer, who was formerly a Minnesota commitment.

Bryan has a ton of offers from places like Ohio State, Michigan, Florida State and Florida, but were those offers 'committable'? This race did, however, come down to Iowa, South Carolina and Pitt and now Iowa has a second running back in this class to go along with Illinois running back Ivory Kelly-Martin.

A few weeks ago, Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz said Iowa's class would end up in the range of 20 to 22. Some of Iowa's final targets are defensive end Daviyon Nixon (6-4, 285, Kenosha, Wis.), safety Geno Stone (6-0, 180, New Castle, Pa.) and punter Ryan Gersonde (6-4, 190, Milwaukee, Wis.).

Take Iowa City West wide receiver Oliver Martin off the list. The 6-1, 190-pounder, a 4-star recruit by Rivals, announced via Twitter on Monday night that he has committed to Michigan.

With Monday's commitments, Iowa moved up to No. 46 in Rivals' national recruiting rankings (Wisconsin is No. 44; Minnesota is 49) and 10th in the Big Ten.

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