:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63999207/FCDB7299_D146_4648_9BFF_90F0E861D4CB.0.jpeg)
June has been a big month for the Hawkeyes on the recruiting trail the last few years. With the new(ish) early signing period, the Iowa staff has looked to have the class largely wrapped up by December and as a result, they’ve pushed for earlier official visits. This year, that means a big recruiting weekend in a couple weeks. But it also meant a number of camps and other visitors before we get to the big visit weekend on June 21.
One such visitor was Kansas offensive lineman Mason Richman, who attended Iowa’s camp two weekends ago. He left with an offer and a lot to think about. A week later, he returned for an official visit.
Fortunately for Hawkeye fans, Richman is also apparently a smart man and he’s made up his mind already. He’s ready to join the swarm.
C O M M I T T E D⚫️ #Swarm20 pic.twitter.com/JaXfYmjlzB
— Mason Richman (@RichmanMason) June 12, 2019
Richman is a big senior-to-be from Stilwell, Kansas, just south of Kansas City. Despite being listed as a defensive end and spending a good chunk of time terrorizing offenses, Iowa is recruiting Richman at offensive tackle, as did Kansas and Kansas State.
He’s listed at 6’5” and currently 260 pounds. That’s up 40 pounds from his wrestling weight of 220 and he may be closer to 6’6” than 6’5”. That frame is paired with a lot of athleticism for an offensive lineman as Richman boasts a 31” vertical and a 10’2” broad jump.
What mightve been most impressive though was during the Broad Jump portion when he popped off a 16-inch improvement over his baseline mark, his 112-inch jump today would’ve only been 1” behind Texas A&M TE Jace Sternberger’s & 2” better than Bama’s Irv Smith’s NFL Combine mark pic.twitter.com/qK1Nj6H13u
— Joseph Potts (@TopSpeedLLC) May 31, 2019
Richman primarily has used that great size and athleticism on the defensive side of the ball in high school. His highlights are the things nightmares are made of for offensive coordinators. He looks bigger, faster and stronger than everyone else and uses that to get into the backfield at will.
For Iowa, Doyle will look to add another 30 or so pounds into that big frame and work to keep the quick feet and power he already has. Do that successfully and you’ll be looking at a talented tackle before long.
Richman ultimately chose the Hawkeyes over offers from Kansas, Northern Illinois, Air Force, Akron, Ball State, Princeton, Dartmouth, Illinois State, North Dakota, Northern Iowa, South Dakota, and South Dakota State with several others showing interest this summer. He becomes commitment number 11 in the class of 2020 For Iowa and is the third offensive lineman in the class, joining Josh Volk of Cedar Rapids and Tyler Elsbury of Byron, IL.
The Hawkeyes are likely to take one more offensive lineman in the class. With the momentum starting to build and the big weekend just around the corner, it likely won’t be long before we see that last OL spot taken.
Welcome aboard Mason Richman!