Recruiting mailbag: Who might be next to commit to Iowa football?
Matthew BainHi, everyone. Welcome, once again, to the recruiting mailbag.
Is anybody else a huge fan of the NBA playoffs right now? That's a sport that's been in desperate need of some parity lately, and this year's postseason is giving it to us.
Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed the Warriors-Cavaliers NBA Finals battles as much as the next NBA fan. But ... the lead-up to those intense series were usually a bit boring. It was pretty much a month-long wait until Cleveland and Golden State inevitably met.
This year, though, it feels like the crown is anybody's to take. Especially now that LeBron James and the Lakers are out. Utah vs. potentially Dallas in one Western Conference semifinal and Denver vs. Phoenix in the other. Then, in the Eastern Conference, Atlanta vs. Philadelphia and Brooklyn vs. Milwaukee? Give me all of that.
Anyway, don't mind me, one of Iowa's 34 NBA fans, getting excited over here.
This week's questions focus on which Hawkeye targets should be on commitment watch, an in-state basketball prospect who surprisingly doesn't have an offer and takeaways from last week's Iowa State football prospect camps.
Who might commit next to Iowa football?
It's commitment-watch time in Iowa City.
Wisconsin three-star offensive lineman Jack Dotzler committed to the Hawkeyes on Wednesday, becoming Iowa's first 2022 recruit since Kansas three-star defensive end Caden Crawford committed in February.
Now that the dead recruiting period has been lifted, and Dotzler became that first commitment domino of sorts, Hawkeye fans are wondering who might commit next.
Texas three-star defensive back Jalon Peoples is a candidate to watch, simply because he's officially visiting Iowa next weekend (June 11-13). Peoples is Iowa's only target officially visiting that weekend, while basically everybody else and their grandmothers will be visiting June 25-27.
More:Wisconsin 3-star offensive lineman Jack Dotzler commits to Iowa
So, two things: One, it could be a disadvantage to not have the Hawkeyes' other targets visiting with Peoples. On the flipside, this allows the Iowa coaching staff to focus all its energy and effort on Peoples. He does have other official visits planned after his trip to Iowa City, including one June 25-27 to Baylor, but Iowa could theoretically close the deal June 11-13 if he falls in love with the program. That isn't thought to be likely, but it's in the realm of possibility.
Another name to watch could be Lewis Central four-star defensive tackle Hunter Deyo. An in-state star who's been heavily recruited by the Cyclones and Hawkeyes for almost two years, Deyo has just two official visits scheduled to Iowa State (June 11-13) and Iowa (June 25-27). But he is already well-aware of, and has a good feel for, each program. If he finishes his Iowa State visit and feels himself leaning toward Iowa, perhaps he won't need to wait until the official to commit.
Wisconsin tight end Andrew Keller is in a similar spot. He has blown up this spring but it appears he's narrowing his focus to Iowa and Iowa State. He has the same two official visits as Deyo. So, if he wants to be a Hawkeye after his Cyclones visit, maybe he doesn't wait to announce his college decision. We'll see if Texas becomes a factor. The Longhorns offered in late May.
Illinois three-star receiver Jacob Bostick is another name to keep an eye on. A big spring landed him offers from Iowa, Illinois, Cincinnati and Pitt, and he was just on campus at Iowa earlier this week for a visit. We'll see if that visit carries enough momentum for a June commitment. Illinois is trying to get him on campus later this month, though.
Why doesn't Pete Moe have an offer yet?
An offer is coming, no doubt.
Pete Moe is a 6-foot-9 power forward who transferred in from Indiana this year and had an All-Iowa type of season with Iowa City West, averaging 21.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per game while shooting 38.9% from long range.
The Register's No. 4 in-state 2022 prospect has followed that up with a strong spring on the Under Armour Rise AAU circuit with Martin Bros, leading that entire circuit with 25.2 points per game at the Memorial Day weekend tournament.
The son of former Hawkeye Jeff Moe, who scored 11.1 points per game during Iowa's run to the Elite Eight in 1987, Pete Moe is an athletic, bouncy forward who can handle the ball a bit and legitimately pose a threat from beyond the arc. There's room on basically any low- to mid-major roster for a guy like that.
So, why doesn't he hold an offer yet?
I'll put it this way: Moe isn't alone. There are lots of high school basketball prospects who, in a normal recruiting cycle, would likely have an offer by now. But coaches often want to watch a prospect in person before they feel comfortable extending an offer. And with COVID-19 keeping coaches from watching prospects in person for over a year, there have obviously been fewer offers.
But, again, one will surely come for Moe. He's a Division I talent.
The list of schools that have shown interest in Moe is long: Iowa, Miami of Ohio, Purdue, IPFW, Belmont, Evansville, Appalachian State, Western Michigan, Air Force, Lipscomb, FAU, Omaha, South Dakota State, South Dakota, Princeton, Lehigh, North Dakota State, Iowa State, Nebraska, VMI and North Dakota.
Moe told me he was at Air Force on Friday for their elite camp and an unofficial visit. The Falcons have a track record of offering Iowa prospects, so maybe keep an eye out for an offer in the not-so-distant future for Moe.
Who was the top standout performer from the first two Iowa State camps?
If you want to check out my two stories from Iowa State's first and second football prospect camps last week, you can find them here and here. I discuss a handful of in-state standout performers, as well as which five-star prospect was at the second camp during an unofficial visit.
For me, the biggest standout is obvious: Ankeny 2023 quarterback J.J. Kohl. He was one of three prospects the Cyclones offered as a result of last week's camps, along with Texas 2023 tight end Jaden Platt and Indianapolis 2024 running back Jaden Hart.
Kohl very much looked the part. You can't teach size, and he's all of 6-foot-6 and about 215 pounds at the end of his sophomore year. You also can't teach arm strength, and he's got a whole lot of that. When a prospect is at that high of a level in the stuff you can't teach, that's an automatic "put this guy on our big board" for college coaches.
More:Iowa State football recruiting: Breaking down the top performers on Day 1 of Cyclones camp
Among all quarterbacks, even the rising seniors he was competing alongside, Kohl's passes had the most zip last Tuesday. There was a reason head coach Matt Campbell, offensive coordinator Tom Manning and quarterbacks coach Joel Gordon watched just about every pass.
Kohl is currently in the midst of a busy June. He camped at Alabama June 2 and Missouri June 3. He was at the Lindenwood mega camp Friday and he's set to camp at Penn State Saturday and Iowa Sunday. He plans to compete at more camps later in June, too, although he's not yet sure which ones.
More:These 28 Iowa football prospects are poised to break out at June recruiting camps
Any under-the-radar names to watch from the camps?
A couple. One under-the-radar. And one really under-the-radar.
Dowling Catholic 2023 tight end Jalyn Thompson will be a prospect to watch next year.
He was not the most refined prospect in the tight ends group Wednesday, which is expected from a rising junior competing alongside rising seniors. He is raw and has plenty of room to grow. But that's a good thing. Because he has the potential to grow into one heck of a football prospect.
Thompson checks in at about 6-4 and 220 pounds, and he can move well. He's physical, strong and is getting better every day at quickness and route-running. He improved this spring playing for Iowa's Level Up Elite 7-on-7 team, and he competed alongside Kohl, Proctor and Southeast Polk quarterback Jaxon Dailey at the Under Armour All-American regional camp in April.
Iowa State tight ends coach Mouser spent some one-on-one time speaking with Thompson after the camp. Dowling football coach Tom Wilson said Thompson is also set to camp at Iowa later this month. It's safe to say he'll be on both in-state Power Five schools' radars after June.
A more under-the-radar name, especially for people in central Iowa, is Miles Thompson, a 2023 defensive back out of Cedar Rapids Washington.
More:Recruiting mailbag: Where might Des Moines Roosevelt QB Jamison Patton play college football?
He's about 6 feet and 160 pounds, he plays defensive back and running back for Washington, and he can absolutely fly. His season-best 100-meter dash time of 10.82 seconds was tied for eighth-fastest in Iowa this year, and he boasts the same type of speed in pads.
Thompson is getting mostly Division II looks right now, but he's got the speed to open eyes. He camped at Iowa State on Tuesday and at Wisconsin on Thursday. He also plans to camp at Iowa June 6 and at Houston and Missouri later this month.
Who are some names to watch at Iowa State's next prospect camps?
Here are some notable in-state guys that are set to camp at Iowa State next week:
June 8
West Liberty 2022 DB Jahsiah Galvan (holds Nebraska offer)
Des Moines Roosevelt 2023 QB/ATH Jamison Patton
Cedar Rapids Washington 2023 DB Watts McBride
Durant 2023 LB Nolan DeLong
Urbandale 2023 TE/WR Kai Black
June 9
North Scott 2023 DT David Borchers (holds Iowa State, Nebraska)
Waukee 2022 DL Ben Reiland (holds Arizona State offer)
Xavier 2023 ATH Aidan McDermott told me he plans to attend on either June 8 or 9.
Matthew Bain covers recruiting, Drake basketball and pretty much anything else under the sports sun for the Des Moines Register and USA TODAY Network. Contact him at mbain@dmreg.com and follow him on Twitter @MatthewBain_.