IOWA FOOTBALL RECRUITING: FLORIDA WR COMMITS TO HAWKEYES (sort of)

It’s been a busy day for Iowa athletics, what with the baseball team taking down Maryland in a thrilling game earlier today, but somehow football always has a way of stealing thunder in Hawkeye Land.

Ivan Thomas is a 6-3, 197-lb receiver out of Miami. He’s rated three-stars by Rivals, and is the first win from new receivers coach Kelton Copeland on the recruiting trail. He also had offers from Indiana, Kentucky, Syracuse and Temple.

HOWEVAH, there is one minor detail in Thomas’ recruitment:

Blair Sanderson reports there is no commitment yet, but Thomas has a visit scheduled for June. Soooooooo he’s not quite a Hawkeye, but he wants it, at least. I’ve never really seen this happen but it’s fair to assume he’ll be a commit once he sees Kinnick and gets the whole schpiel from Iowa coaches.

Thomas lacks mind-blowing numbers (34 receptions, 542 yards and 9 touchdowns as a junior) but that can be attributed to his mostly being used as a possession receiver doing most of his work in the red zone—his inflated touchdown numbers tell that story.

His tape corroborates that story too:

He simply outbodies undersized defensive backs. His size allows him to come down with jump balls with a high success rate.

It’ll be interesting to keep an eye on him during his senior season and see how he progresses, but at first glance he appears to be a type of receiver Ken O’Keefe loves: a big body that can come down with the football.

More than anything, though, it’s nice to see Iowa aggressively recruit a position of dire need.

Welcome aboard, Mr. Thomas, and we look forward to seeing you in the Black and Gold.