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It feels like it’s been quite a while since the Iowa Hawkeyes landed a commitment. It’s only been twelve days since Iowa landed their third wide receiver in the class of 2021 as Nebraska legacy Keagan Johnson joined the Swarm, but at the rate the Hawkeyes had been going on the recruiting trail, twelve days seems like an eternity.
Today, the waiting is over as Iowa has added another big time commitment in what is one of the top recruiting classes in the nation. This time, it’s from Illinois defensive lineman Jeremiah Pittman.
#COMMITED @CoachK_Bell @CoachSWallace @HawkeyeFootball @EliasKarras @EFTfootball @EDGYTIM @AllenTrieu @JoshHelmholdt @Clint_Cosgrove @SVFootballCoach pic.twitter.com/Ji5H196KUH
— Jeremiah Pittman (@jeremiahpitt55) May 18, 2020
Pittman is an explosive defensive end from Arlington Heights, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago. He’s an intriguing prospect who is listed as a defensive end, but could project inside at Iowa.
His highlight tape is reminiscent of former Hawkeye and Green Bay Packer great Mike Daniels, who came to Iowa as a 6’1” 230 pound 2-star defensive end who spent time in the backfield at the prep level. Pittman’s videos start with clips of him as a bulldozing short yardage back/fullback, where he shows off great feet and tremendous power. Those both serve him well on the defensive line.
As a defensive end, he’s a dominant force at the high school level. Coming in at 6’2” and 260 pounds as a high school junior, the St. Viator product overpowers would-be blockers en route to the backfield. He also shows an explosive first step to go with the quality footwork and good punch needed to get around offensive lineman. While it’s possible he sticks at defensive end, he seems like a good candidate to follow in the footsteps of Daniels or Jonathan Babineaux and end up inside.
Overall, Pittman becomes Iowa’s 15th commitment in the class of 2021. If that sounds familiar, it’s because Iowa hit 15 twelve days ago when they added the aforementioned Keagan Johnson. Since then, Tampa defensive back Jordan Oladokun has decided to open his recruitment up to take official visits before finalizing things. Like Oladokun, Pittman has not visited Iowa City, but felt the time was right to commit after numerous virtual visits and video tours.
Pittman chose Iowa over a slew of high major offers, including Illinois, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Michigan State, Minnesota, Missouri, Boston College, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Toledo, Bowling Green, and Northern Illinois. Ultimately, it came down to Iowa and Northwestern with the Hawkeyes on top.
With the addition of Pittman, Iowa moves up to 8th nationally and 2nd again in the Big Ten according to Rivals. The Hawkeyes come in at 10th nationally and 3rd in the Big Ten behind Ohio State and Minnesota according to 247 Sports.
Welcome aboard Jeremiah Pittman!