New Jersey D-lineman is No. 17 for Hawkeyes

Iowa has missed the target on recruiting defensive ends in the last couple of classes. That position has been covered, covered, covered and now covered for 2016.

Brandon Simon, a 6-1, 236-pounder from Ramsey, N.J., picked the Hawkeyes on Friday afternoon. He visited Iowa City last weekend and raved about the city and Iowa campus.

'Iowa amazed me,” Simon told HawkeyeReport.com. 'I didn't realize how beautiful Iowa City was. I thought when I was going out there, it was going to be just farmland and cornfields. But when I got there, it totally shocked me. It's a beautiful college town. Then I loved the coaching staff, I loved coach (Reese) Morgan (defensive line coach), and I loved the players. One of my former teammates is at Iowa right now, Terrence Harris (a redshirt freshman defensive end). I got to talk with him and he really likes it there. Iowa really impressed me.”

Simon, rated a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, picked Iowa scholarship offers from Iowa, Boston College, Syracuse, East Carolina and Connecticut.

Iowa and Syracuse were the finalists for Simon, who passed on a visit to Syracuse this weekend. The Don Bosco Prep defensive lineman is No. 38 on NJ.com's list of New Jersey's top 50 players. Rivals has him ranked No. 26 in the state. Simon is the second New Jersey prep to commit to the Hawkeyes this week, joining New Jersey wide receiver Frank Darby (Jersey City).

'I'm Blessed and Honored to say that I will be furthering my education and football career at the University of Iowa,” Simon wrote on his Twitter late Friday afternoon.

Simon jumped into the camp circuit. Simon opened eyes at the Rivals Camp in New Jersey in mid-April.

Here's what Rivals wrote about Simon's performance: 'Simon was simply dominant and won every single rep he took during the one-on-one session. Simon is 6-foot-1, 236 pounds and very strong. Simon's aggressive pass-rushing techniques and his very fast hands made it tough for any offensive lineman to slow him down. His explosiveness off the line of scrimmage was unmatched as he earned the D-line MVP award.”

NJ.com also covered the Rivals Camp and wrote, 'was unstoppable off the edge.” NJ.com also reported that Simon will play rush-end in a hybrid role his senior year at Bosco.

'It looks like I'm gonna be a hybrid linebacker and a stand-up d-end,” Simon told NJ.com. 'I think I'm gonna be all over the field this upcoming year.”

Iowa is looking for Simon to play defensive end.

'They really like how I play and said they like how I'm explosive and play with a passion,” Simon told HawkeyeReport.

Simon is the fourth defensive end Iowa has received a commitment from for 2016. He joins Detroit duo Cedrick Lattimore and Chauncey Gholston and Pella's Austin Schulte, who plays linebacker for the Dutch but will shift inside at Iowa.

Iowa has a need at defensive end with seniors Drew Ott and Nate Meier installed as started for 2015. His father, Gerry, played college basketball at the College of New Jersey in the eighties.

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