Calvin Lockett

Pos: WR

Hometown: Largo, Florida

Ht: 6’2”

Wt: 170

Stars: 3

Other Offers: BC, Illinois, Indiana, Oregon State, Purdue, Syracuse, UCF, USF, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Others

Commitment Post: Hawkeyes Land FLorida WR Calvin Lockett

Good things happen to those who wait!

The wide receiver position has been an area of focus for the Hawkeyes’ staff the last couple years. During the last cycle, Iowa added four WR commits as freshmen and brought in a JUCO walk-on in Nick Easley who made an immediate impact. Given the lack of depth at the position (the departure of Matt VandeBerg leaves only Adrian Falconer and Devonte Young as scholarship upperclassmen, with Easley sure to be on scholarship soon enough) it remained a focus this year.

Enter Florida receiver Calvin Lockett. After visiting Iowa City less than two weeks ago and pledging his allegiance to the Hawkeyes shortly thereafter, Lockett is now officially a member of the class of 2018.

A 3-star by the various recruiting services, Lockett is a big WR, standing at 6’2” and likely north of his list weight of 170 pounds. From a skillset standpoint, he has a lot of what Iowa fans have been looking for in a WR commit. Playing primarily on the outside, he utilizes his size to go up and get the ball at it’s high point. He also shows good speed, often running by defenders for open catches downfield.

While that combination of size and speed lent itself well to a lot of vertical routes at the high school level, he also shows off some skill running underneath routes and making plays on would-be tacklers in space. In addition to his receiving skillset, Lockett also is an able and willing blocker. Iowa fans know all too well that’s a pre-requisite for any Hawkeye receiver to see the field. That, coupled with his abilities in the return game should give Lockett an opportunity to be an early contributor for the Hawkeyes.

Lockett is one of two WR commits signing today, joining Indianapolis native Tyrone Tracy, JR. Illinois athlete Samson Evans was projected as a receiver for some time, but recently indicated the staff wants to start him at RB. Given the aforementioned lack of depth at the position, the Hawkeyes may well take another commitment at WR ahead of the February signing day.

Lockett is the only commitment from the state of Florida in the class of 2018. The state had been good to the Hawkeyes in the past, but the pipeline had mostly dried up of late with efforts being made in places like Texas instead.

The addition of Miami-native Kelton Copeland to the staff (as WR coach, no less) should help bring attention back to the sunshine state. Furthermore, connections to Hawkeyes of years’ past like Lockett’s coach at Largo, Marcus Paschal, could do wonders for Iowa as they look to step up the talent level at the skill positions.

Here’s a look at the full list of commitments in the class of 2018.

As a reminder, everything you need to know about the early signing period and Iowa’s class of 2018 can be found on our EARLY SIGNING PERIOD HEADQUARTERS.