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Iowa Hawkeye fans need some good news right now. After an abysmal start to the 2022 season by the Iowa offense, the fanbase is growing frustrated and restless looking for any signs of life on the offensive side of the ball.
On Sunday, a day after falling to Iowa State 10-7 in another contest devoid of any offense from either team, the Hawkeye fanbase may have gotten the glimmer of hope they’ve been looking for as 2024 Florida quarterback James Resar announced his commitment to Iowa.
After a couple of great visits and a lot of thought, I have committed to the University of Iowa. Go Hawks! Thank you to the entire program for making me feel welcome. @TylerBarnesIOWA @LadellBetts46 @CoachBFerentz pic.twitter.com/96PbC1WAqB
— James Resar (@JamesResar) September 11, 2022
Resar was in Iowa City on Saturday for the Cy-Hawk matchup after camping with the Hawkeyes and receiving an offer back in June. Despite the rough offensive output, Resar saw what he needed to from the campus, fanbase and team to pull the trigger and end his commitment just a few weeks into his junior season.
The Jacksonville, Florida native is the type of quarterback Iowa fans have been pining for over the last several years. At 6’4” and 205 pounds as a junior at powerhouse Bishop Kenny, Resar has ideal size for the QB position. But importantly, he is not the statuesque pocket-passer that has become synonymous with Hawkeye football.
Instead, Resar has not only the mobility needed to escape the pocket and evade pressure or even scramble for a first down, but he’s a borderline dual-threat quarterback who can pull the ball and run to open space and make defenders miss. As a sophomore, the QB ran a staggering 10.86 100 meter dash on the track, further demonstrating he’s a different type of athlete than Iowa has been able to land the last several recruiting cycles.
Despite the running ability, it doesn’t come at the expense of a strong arm. Instead, Resar does show off very solid arm strength with some touch on deep throws. It’s not necessarily elite arm strength and there aren’t a ton of clips of Resar throwing bullets into tight windows, but it looks more than adequate to make the majority of throws in Iowa’s playbook. And he just started his junior season.
As a sophomore, Resar completed nearly 60% of his passes for 1,266 yards and 13 TDs with 5 interceptions. He added 476 yards and 10 TDs on the ground. Oh, and he did that with a broken leg after week two.
If you watch my highlights from last year and think I look sluggish at times, it’s because I broke my leg in week 2 and was playing through it. I’m 100% now. pic.twitter.com/vzrB4A3Xrg
— James Resar (@JamesResar) March 22, 2022
Resar has picked up where he left off so far this year. His early junior year film looks very impressive. That’s helped him earn scholarship offers from Indiana, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern and Toledo, as well as interest from Notre Dame, Wisconsin and others.
Resar is commitment number 5 for the Hawkeyes in the class of 2024. Despite the angst among the fanbase, that 2024 class is shaping up very nicely. The Hawkeyes currently boast the #4 ranked class nationally according to 247 Sports and the #6 class per Rivals.
Much of that has come on the back of some early momentum within the state’s borders. Resar becomes the first commitment in the class from the state of Florida and the first commitment from outside the state of Iowa.
Welcome aboard James Resar!
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