Iowa hangs on to its class of 24

IOWA CITY — Recruiting is like life on a fault line. Everything looks pretty fantastic on the California coast along the Pacific Ocean, but then there's that San Andreas Fault churning things beneath the surface.

Menomonie, Wis., quarterback Nathan Stanley was Iowa's first commitment for the 2016 recruiting class, which signed on the dotted line when the national signing period began Wednesday. The 6-5, 215-pounder who leads Menomonie High School basketball in scoring and who has a 90 mph fastball said yes to Iowa all the way back on Nov. 11, 2014.

Stanley's first camp stop, however, was Pittsburgh, where Paul Chryst then was head coach. Chryst was the first to offer. Then, Stanley next went to camp in Iowa City. His mom, Donita, is from Iowa. Donita and Jay Stanley went to Wartburg. The family saw a fit and said yes to Iowa.

'We were fortunate that he camped here,' Iowa assistant coach Seth Wallace said Wednesday. 'We really were. It was obvious when he got here that this kid was a big-time quarterback. Once we started learning more about him, it became obvious that we really, really wanted Nate Stanley.'

Since Stanley committed to Iowa, Chryst became head coach at Wisconsin. Stanley soon had an offer from the Badgers. Chryst kept the pressure on.

'They never backed off and credit to them, they knew what they were doing with an in-state kid,' Wallace said. 'They worked until the last second.'

Stanley was one of 24 high school prospects to sign a letter of intent with the Hawkeyes on Wednesday. Iowa filled needs with three tight ends, including Cedar Rapids Kennedy standout Shaun Beyer, and five potential defensive ends. But maybe more than in a lot of recent classes, Iowa found itself with a bunch of versatile football bodies (11 players measure 6-4 and above) that might be able to plug in anywhere.

Take Beyer, for instance. He's 6-5, 210 pounds. He played everything from wildcat quarterback to running back to tight end to punter for the Cougars. At Iowa, you can take quarterback and running back off that list, but that's about it.

'Not sure what he's going to play yet, and that's a good problem, too,' head coach Kirk Ferentz said. 'He's one of the guys to me an athlete category-type player, but I think tremendous growth [potential], attitude.'

Hawkeye Football 2016 Signing Day

Sources: HawkeyeSports.com, Rivals.com and TheGazette.com. Map by John McGlothlen / The Gazette

The earth didn't stop moving for Iowa's class until early Wednesday morning. Offensive lineman Alaric Jackson was set to commit to Iowa on Monday, but received late interest from Michigan and decided to put an announcement on hold. The 6-7, 285-pounder signed with the Hawkeyes early Wednesday morning.

'I'm not going to say I wasn't worried about it or concerned about it, but anything can happen in recruiting, I realize that fully,' Ferentz said, 'but his consistency throughout the whole process really has impressed me a great deal and makes you feel better about him as a football player, too.'

Iowa expected to sign 25 players, but New Jersey wide receiver Frank Darby needs to retake the SAT on Feb. 20 before he can proceed. NCAA rules prevent coaches from commenting on unsigned players, but Ferentz did say there still is room in this class when asked about Darby, who was scheduled for an SAT on Jan. 23 but a snowstorm forced postponement.

In addition to Stanley and Jackson, running back Toks Akinridbade (Toeks A-KIN-ri-body) and tight end Noah Fant also count as pretty terrific 'hang ons.'

Akinribade, who rushed for 1,500 yards and 16 TDs as a senior at Brownsburg (Ind.) High School, heard a lot from Indiana, held an offer from Michigan and lost his primary contact at Iowa when former linebackers coach Jim Reid left for Boston College last month. Fant, an Omaha, Neb., native, held an offer from the home state Huskers and almost took a visit to Minnesota.

Akinribade or fellow running back Toren Young (Monona Grove, Wis.,) could end up seeing time next season at running back, Wallace said.

Defensive end prospects Romeo McKnight and Austin Schulte suffered torn ACLs after they committed to Iowa. This has happened in the past and Ferentz and Iowa have never backed out of the commitment.

'Once we make an offer, a commitment to a player and they make a commitment to us, it's a two-way street,' Ferentz said. 'That's just something we believe in. . . . We just tried to do our best to make sure they're getting good medical care, and when they get here if they need to go through the rehab process with our people, that'll start in June.'

As far as territory for the 2016 class, Iowa didn't chart much new, instead depending on go-to areas. The Hawkeyes picked up five commitments from Iowa and Illinois, with four more coming from the Detroit area, including defensive linemen Chauncey Golston and Cedric Lattimore, both of whom attend East English Village Prep, the same school that produced all-American cornerback Desmond King.

Wallace will relinquish his duties as recruiting coordinator as he transitions into his new position as linebackers coach, announced last month. So, some recruiting areas could shift with the hire of a new recruiting coordinator. Ferentz said he hopes to be close to making that hire in the next few weeks.

Iowa will recruit with an efficient mind-set, a notion articulated by Ferentz in recent years. That certainly held true in this class, with 21 of the 24 commitments coming from the midwest.

Iowa, however, hasn't given up on Georgia. The Hawkeyes offered 31 scholarships in Georgia this year and went 0-for-31. Wallace, who was defensive coordinator at Valdosta State in Georgia before coming to Iowa two years ago, said he might visit the state again this spring, but efficiency is the rule.

'If we have a kid who likes us, we'll go recruit him wherever he is,' Wallace said. 'We're not going to dig someone up and get them to like us in an area that we don't have a whole lot of presence in.'

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