The NCAA instituted a recruiting dead period that began when the pandemic took hold last March. It s been extended to April 15, 2021.Â
Prospects across the country were relegated to learning about colleges and the football programs virtually. The lack of gaining intimate knowledge of what could be their future homes compromised the process. Â
Class of 2022 Kansas offensive lineman Nick Herzog decided to take matters into his own hands. The Stilwell Blue Valley High standout and his parents visited Iowa City this past weekend. The Hawkeyes offered him a scholarship in November. We toured around the whole city, including all the football facilities as well as Kinnick Stadium, the academic parts of campus and the downtown area, Herzog told HN. I enjoyed the feel of the city. Iâm excited to come back for an official (visit) and get to go into the facilities and the stadium, however, even from the outside theyâre impressive.
The Skinny: Iowa likes to get a quarterback in every recruiting class to keep the numbers up given the regular attrition at the position (Labas will give Iowa four quarterbacks heading into 2021, or three if Spencer Petras, Alex Padilla, or Deuce Hogan opt to transfer out during this offseason). Labas was their guy this season. Quarterback commits tend to either happen very early in the recruiting cycle (if you hit on one of your top choices) or very late in the cycle (if you don t). Labas committed last summer, relatively late process, choosing Iowa over a bevy of MAC schools. Labas Ohio origins and MAC-heavy recruitment brought lots of Ricky Stanzi comparisons; getting Stanzi 2.0 would be a win for Iowa at this position. Labas completed 68% of his passes as a senior and threw for 2349 yards and 16 touchdowns against three interceptions.