Iowa Football Recruiting: Hawkeyes Land 4-Star 2021 LB/DE Justice Sullivan

The Iowa coaching staff is virtually done with their recruiting in the class of 2020 with 22 commitments already on board. That has allowed them to get a jumpstart on the class of 2021, where Iowa already has 3 commitments.

Today, that early effort paid additional dividends as the staff got some great news out of the Gopher state.

Sullivan is a big time get out of the heart of Gopher territory and in the midst of one of their best seasons in a century. Despite the success this season and the proximity of Sullivan’s home town of Eden Prairie to Minnesota’s campus, the Iowa staff was able to lure in the 4-star linebacker who also held a Nebraska offer.

Aside from the fact the Iowa staff was able to pull in a recruit from Minnesota’s back yard, it was a big time get for the simple reason Justice Sullivan is incredibly talented. Both 247 Sports and Rivals rate him as a 4-star player in the class of 2021. That’s based on a great combination of size and athleticism. At 6’2” and 225 pounds as a junior, Sullivan has a great frame for a linebacker.

This season at Eden Prairie, Sullivan spent a fair amount of time at defensive ends and is a tremendous edge rusher. He’s great at reading and diagnosing plays in the run game and shows a good ability to take on and shed blockers to make a play. It remains to be seen how effectively he could play in coverage at the next level and will be interesting to see if Iowa opts to work on developing that skill set for a linebacker or tries to bulk him up to play with his hand on the ground at defensive end.

Wherever he ends up, Sullivan is a big time get for the Iowa staff. He’s the 4th commitment overall in the class of 2021, which ranks 19th nationally according to Rivals. Sullivan is the second 4-star commit in the class, joining Cedar Rapids OL Connor Colby. He’s also the second linebacker in the class (if he stays there), joining Jaden Harrell of Urbandale.

Welcome aboard Justice Sullivan!

Justice Sullivan

Position: Linebacker

Height: 6’2”

Weight: 225

Hometown: Eden Prairie, MN (Eden Prairie)

Stars: 247 Sports - 4; Rivals - 4