Finishing 4-8 this past season has not affected the recruiting trail for the Iowa football team.
The Hawkeye coaching staff is currently putting the finishing touches on the 2013 class but also is making a big push for 2014. And two Iowa natives have decided to give their pledge to the program.
A little more than a week after four-star offensive guard Ross Pierschbacher committed to Iowa, Union Community quarterback Jay Scheel did the same.
Both players were at this weekend’s Iowa Junior Day, and Scheel told the coaching staff when he arrived that he wanted to be a Hawkeye.
Scheel helped lead the Knights to the state championship in 2011 as a wide receiver and then moved to quarterback this season after Trev Hadachek went down with an injury. The Knights fell short of a state title in 2012, but Scheel still finished with 1,593 passing yards and 1,291 rushing yards.
Scheel is a dual threat quarterback who will either play wide receiver or quarterback in Iowa City. He threw 19 touchdowns and had only seven picks this past season as a quarterback and also rushed for 20 more touchdowns. He returned one punt and that covered 91 yards and a score.
The 6-foot-, 170-pound athlete also was offered by Nebraska, Minnesota and Iowa State. He attended camps at all four universities and said he chose Iowa over Iowa State.
With Hadachek graduating, the door is open for Scheel to once again play quarterback for the Knights, who will likely be one of the favorites in Class 2A. He earned first-team all-state honors last year as a junior.
Pierschbacher played a significant role in the recruitment of Scheel, saying that he called the Union signal caller as soon as he gave his verbal commitment to the program.
The two all-staters were just two of several instate talents who made their way to junior day Sunday. Indianola lineman Keegan Render also went to the event and attended the Iowa-Wisconsin basketball game Saturday night. Render has an offer from Iowa and Iowa State but said he is in no hurry to make a decision.
West Marshall running back Duncan Ferch also attended Iowa Junior Day. Ferch rushed for 2,264 yards and 33 scores for the Trojans, who reached the Class 2A quarterfinals this past season. Ferch’s two older brothers are both preferred walk-ons at Iowa State.
Iowa’s 2013 class currently consists of 16 players after the coaching staff decided to part ways with linebacker Trevon Young.
Young is a Des Moines Lincoln senior who has had multiple run-ins with the law. He was committed to play linebacker for the Hawks, but the coaching staff has since taken that offer away.
Hadachek also has interest from Iowa. The Union senior has been given a preferred walk-on opportunities by Iowa and Iowa State, but he will be visiting Northern Iowa in the coming weeks. The Panthers have not yet offered a scholarship but likely will do so when Hadachek comes to Cedar Falls for his visit.
Hadachek told me this weekend that right now his decision is between Iowa and Iowa State but does not anticipate a decision until Signing Day or just before.
Comments