It took a little longer than expected, but it finally happened: Naperville North offensive lineman Colin Goebel finalized his commitment to Iowa Friday afternoon. Goebel, a 6'4", 275 lb. senior-to-be, received surprisingly consensus ratings from the creeps: Rivals, Scout, and 24/7 all have him rated at three stars, and all three place him in the top 20 offensive guards in the country (Scout #17, Rivals #18, 24/7 #20). He held offers from the usual suspects: Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, (maybe) Wisconsin, Kansas, Cincinnati, West Virginia, and a smattering of MAC programs (and, oddly, Miami and Mississippi).
Goebel's commitment is a testament to something Iowa doesn't usually do especially well: Getting in on a target early. Iowa was Goebel's first Big Ten-level offer, and the staff didn't play footsie with anyone else in his projected position. They pushed hard through the winter, and by the time Goebel hit campus in late March, the recruitniks felt it was elementary. It took him a few weeks to make the decision, but it was never really in doubt.
The recruiting services have him classified as a guard and guard only, but Goebel might have some other ideas in mind. He played tackle in high school, he cited Iowa's preference to start linemen at guard and move them to tackle as a positive, and Ole Miss and some of the MAC schools saw him as a possible tackle. At 6'4" already (with another year of high school to go before he hits campus), he could well have the frame to eventually move outside.
There are fourteen offensive linemen on the roster right now - with only two seniors - and the attrition rate on linemen is far lower than their skill position counterparts. This team isn't in desperate need of offensive line help (which is why Iowa could put all their offensive guard eggs in the Goebel basket). It's Iowa, though, and Iowa's going to recruit offensive linemen. Goebel's in the fold, and you can certainly expect a couple more.