FOUR-STAR RECRUIT JUSTIN HILLIARD INCLUDES IOWA IN HIS LIST OF FINAL FIVE SCHOOLS

THIS MORNING. Rivals four-star linebacker prospect Justin Hilliard trimmed his list to five schools. He used Twitter to make the announcement.

TOP 5 pic.twitter.com/wsBgxa8DUM

— Justin Hilliard (@JHilliard47) May 23, 2014

HEY HEY. One of those things is not like the other. And obviously Saban is smiling while the other four coaches look disappointed or constipated. Or both. /Recruiting analysis

Justin's brother C.J. is part of Iowa's 2014 recruiting class and should be moving to Iowa City soon. Iowa also recently put its three senior starting linebackers in the NFL (two were drafted and another as a free agent who was recently released after failing his physical). If there's ever a time for Iowa to reap the rewards of its NFL production plant, it's now.

Iowa's coaching staff also includes Footballscoop.com's linebacker coach(es) of the year. LeVar Woods coaches outside linebackers. He has seven years of NFL playing experience. And there's Jim Reid. Hired last season after serving as the defensive coordinator at Virginia. Reid also worked in the NFL coaching linebackers (Joey Porter anyone) at Miami. Reid just happens to be Hilliard's lead recruiter.

It's cliche to say this guy is a must get. He's certainly not. Iowa's program has proven they'll do just fine with what they get. But Hilliard could be a game-changer, beating Urban Meyer in his own backyard. The same Urban Meyer that said other programs in the Big Ten need to step up their recruiting. Getting Hilliard out of Ohio will be a massive challenge for the Iowa coaching staff.

Rivals ranks Hilliard as the 49th best prospect in the country. Both Rivals and 24/7 Sports rank him as the #1 OLB prospect in the nation. 24/7 believes he's a five-star prospect. Here's some highlights:

Also, here's an Iowa fan taking creepy to a whole new level. A love-rap?

Black nnnn Gold. Black nnn Gold flooo.