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The Iowa Hawkeyes are on an absolute roll on the recruiting trail. Since the addition of the early signing period in December, Iowa’s staff has ramped up their efforts to get prospects on campus early and convert those visits into commitments.
In a world without official visits for the foreseeable future, one might expect Iowa’s approach to be hurt. Instead, recruits appear to be skipping right past the official visit in June and jumping on the Hawkeye Express before it leaves the station. Iowa has added a plethora of top targets over the last several weeks, loading up on defensive talent and some of the best offensive line prospects we’ve seen in a while.
Today, that momentum carried over to the offensive side of the ball where WR coach kelton Copeland got a new weapon as Kansas native Arland Bruce announcd his commitment to Iowa.
Words can’t describe how grateful I am to be in this position. After a very thought through decision with my family, I am excited to announce I’m committed to The university of Iowa ⚫️ #swarm21 pic.twitter.com/r12snIh5EL
— Arland Bruce IV (@abruceiv) April 28, 2020
Bruce is a dynamic playmaker who can do it all. He reminds a bit of current Hawkeye Tyrone Tracy in that he projects as a slot receiver for Iowa, but ran all over the field as a prep prospect.
Primarily playing QB as a junior at Olathe North, Bruce ran for an absurd 2,487 yards with 43 touchdowns. He also threw for 404 yards with 5 TDs, earning him player of the year from the Kansas City Star last fall.
With the ball in his hands, Bruce shows off incredible vision with good burst and breakaway speed in space. As a prep, he ran around and past would-be tacklers with consistency. That earned him a 3-star rating by both Rivals and 247 Sports.
Bruce chose Iowa over offers from Iowa State, Tulsa and Western Illinois. The Cyclones had reportedly made him a priority. “Iowa State makes me feel like a top priority and makes me feel like their top guy,” Bruce told HawkeyeReport back in March. He also took visits to Nebraska and Missouri before seemingly narrowing his focus to the Hawkeyes and Cyclones.
With the addition of Bruce, Iowa now has 13 commitments in the class of 2021. Bruce becomes the fifth offensive commitment in the class, joining offensive linemen Gennings Dunker, Connor Colby, Beau Stephens and David Davidkov. Iowa’s class of 2021 now ranks 7th nationally according to Rivals and 6th according to 247 Sports. That’s good enough for 3rd and 2nd in the Big Ten respectively.
Welcome aboard Arland Bruce IV!