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The last few weeks have been a whirlwind for the Iowa Hawkeyes. We’ve had revelations about racial inequality within the program perpetuated by now former strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle. But rather than have that rip the program apart, we’ve seen the players band together. Thanks to the newly lifted Twitter ban, we’ve been able to witness this unity for the first time. We’ve also seen the Hawkeyes add their quarterback in the class of 2021, rather than see any sort of pullback in recruiting as a result of the last few weeks.
Today, that trend continues as Iowa adds another commitment in the class of 2021. This time, it’s a familiar name for those that follow Hawkeye football recruiting as Tampa defensive back Jordan Oladukun committed to Iowa for the second time.
"The Commitment."@JordanOladokun x @WTProTampa
— Will Turner (@TBTurner813) June 21, 2020
FULL VIDEO: https://t.co/yOrVY4VFjH pic.twitter.com/PsI79ELv6J
Oladokun first committed to the Hawkeyes back in mid-April. At the time, there was uncertainty around recruiting in a socially distanced world without visits. His announcement was the first of what would be eight commitments for Iowa over the span of the next month.
But within that same month, Oladokun would de-commit from the Hawkeyes. At the time, it didn’t look great for the Hawkeyes as the Tampa corner noted he would not be pressured into speeding up his timeline for anyone. His original commitment was slated for July, and after committing three months early, it seemed like a shot at Iowa.
Now, 44 days later and still a full month before his originally planned commitment, Oladokun is again a Hawkeye.
As stated when he first committed, Oladokun is a dynamic athlete who played both ways for Gaither as a junior. On the defensive side of the ball, he shows a great ability to diagnose plays and tremendous closing speed when the ball is thrown his direction. He has prototypical, though not plus, size for a corner at 5’11” and 180 pounds coming into his senior season.
His junior stats weren’t terribly impressive, but that was more due opposing teams knowing better than to throw at him. As a sophomore, he recorded 8 interceptions. That number fell to 2 as a junior, though he did record 20 tackles out of the secondary.
On the offensive side of the ball, Oladokun jumps off the screen with his speed and athleticism. He totaled 532 receiving yards and 6 TDs on 28 catches (19 ypc) while racking up 380 return yards and another touchdown on special teams. Oladokun hopes to earn a spot as returner for the Hawkeyes.
The Gaither product chose Iowa over a new final four that included Kansas State, Pitt and Louisville. His top 7, announced in March, included Iowa, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati. In total, he had 26 offers, including Iowa State, Kansas, Wake Forest, North Carolina, Duke, Virginia, Indiana, Syracuse, South Florida, Marshall, Florida International, Western Kentucky, Temple, Southern Miss, Bowling Green, Howard, Tennessee State, and Georgia State.
On why he chose the Hawkeyes, Oladokun told HawkeyeReport.com, “It’s a great school. I can get the academic part done and be able to play for one of the best programs in the nation... I just love how they run everything. They’re a big time school that believes in winning and great academics.”
With Oladokun back in the fold, Iowa’s class of 2021 is now up to 17 commitments. It also jumps them up to 11th nationally and 3rd in the Big Ten according to both Rivals and 247 Sports. Oladokun rejoins Cooper DeJean as the two defensive backs in the class to-date. Teammate Ricky Parks, a 4-star running back, is slated to announce his decision next week. Iowa is a finalist for him as well.
Welcome back aboard Jordan Oladokun!