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This weekend is Iowa’s first big official visit weekend of the 2019 recruiting cycle. They’ve had one or two visits previously that have come with other unofficial visitors, but this weekend the Hawkeyes are hosting all but one (Sebastian Castro, who’s high school team is at a 7 on 7 camp) current commitments and a handful of their top priorities.
This is the first time Iowa has had their big official visit weekend in the spring thanks to the new recruiting rules allowing early officials and it’s paying off for the Hawkeyes already. Iowa got a commitment this afternoon from one of the four known official visitors as Jalen Hunt made his announcement.
I’m 110% positive COMMITTED pic.twitter.com/M0sM6WVEfL
— Jalen Hunt (@jayhunt540) June 23, 2018
Hunt is a 3-star defensive end out of Belleville, Michigan. He’s a bit on the smaller side, but has reportedly been adding weight and may be up to nearly 260 now. He has the frame to become more traditional size for a DE with a year or two under Doyle.
Belleville lines Hunt up all over the field, playing him both inside and outside on the defensive line and even getting some work at running back, which embodies his sheer athleticism. He has good speed and quickness coming off the edge as a pass rusher and should be fine in the run game.
Hunt chose Iowa over offers from more than a dozen other schools, including Boston College, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan State, Minnesota, Mizzou and Pitt. Following official visits to Mizzou and MSU the last two weekends, Hunt felt comfortable making his commitment to Iowa while on his visit today.
That makes 11 total commitments in 2019 for the Hawkeyes, who are expected to take 18-20 commits in the class. Hunt is the second defensive lineman in the class, joining Jake Karchinski of Wisconsin. Look for Iowa to take at least one more before the dust settles. You can see the other top prospects in our defensive line deep dive here.
Look for Iowa to seize on the momentum of the big visit day and add to the commitment list as the day rolls on.
Welcome aboard Jalen Hunt!