Iowa Football Recruiting: Texas RB Terrell Washington Jr. Commits to Hawkeyes

With the early national signing day fast approaching, the Iowa Hawkeyes have been putting in a lot of work both on the recruiting class of 2023 and in the transfer portal. In the last 24 hours, the Hawkeyes have added another commitment from the prep ranks and over the last several weeks, they’ve added a pair of impact transfers from Michigan

But the Iowa staff has not stopped working, again hosting a handful recruits for visits over the weekend. One such prospect was former Purdue commit Terrell Washington, Jr.. Washington decommitted from the Boilermakers a little less than two weeks ago when head coach Jeff Brohm announced his departure for Louisville.

The Hawkeyes, who had been involved previously in his recruitment, were quick to re-engage. However, with signing day fast approaching, there was little time to pick up where things last left off. But the staff was able to persuade Washington to make a condensed official visit for only 24 hours on Sunday as he and his family returned from a cruise on Saturday.

That visit proved enough to seal the deal as Washington announced his commitment to Iowa on Tuesday.

Washington is a dynamic playmaker from Wylie, Texas. The East High product amassed 598 rushing yards on 58 carries (10.3 ypc) and 9 TDs on the ground, as well as 604 yards on 42 receptions (14.4 ypc) and 13 receiving TDs as a senior.

As you can surmise from the stat line, Wylie East utilized Washington in a variety of ways, largely working to get him into space where he could utilize his acceleration and shiftiness. Listed at 5’10” and 185 pounds, Washington is in the mold of former Hawkeyes Tyrone Tracy and Arland Bruce, but Washington shows a meaningful step up in straight line speed and close space acceleration compared to the prior two iterations of Iowa’s hybrid RB/WR.

Washington is notably a former QB for Wylie East. He started at the position as a junior out of necessity and was primarily used as a runner in the role, racking up more than 1,100 yards on the ground. And if that high school sounds familiar, some Hawkeye fans will recall it as the home of former Iowa commit and eventual Arizona State running back Eno Benjamin.

Speaking with Rivals, Washington’s high school coach Marcus Gold noted his former QB turned RB/WR is a leader who is willing to do whatever it takes to help his team.

I guess what makes him more special than everybody is who he is off the field. I’m not blowing smoke, right? He is a special kid. He’s very coachable. He’s humble. He’s not somebody you’ll ever worry about on the weekends in the summer, spring break, right? We have all those talks, making the right decisions. He’s gonna make those right decisions. He has that mindset and knows the goals that he wants in life. He knows what he has to do to take care of his body, to take care of his business in the classroom, to be a high character young man. I can’t say enough great things about him.

Sounds like a great fit for the Hawkeyes.

Washington also comes from an athletic family. His father, Terrell Washington, Sr., was a defensive end at the University of Illinois, starting in 2000 and 2001, including winning the 2001 Big Ten Championship.

Prior to his commitment to Purdue back in June of 2022, Washington held offers from Washington State, Vanderbilt, Tulsa, SMU, Houston, Memphis, Tulane and others. Now, he becomes Iowa’s 22nd commitment in the class of 2023.

Washington is expected to graduate in December and enroll at Iowa in January.

Welcome aboard Terrell Washington, Jr.!

Terrell Washington, Jr., RB
Ht: 5’10”
Wt: 185 lbs
Hometown: Wylie, TX (Wylie East)
Stars: 247 Sports - 3; Rivals - 3