Iowa Football Recruiting: 3-Star Illinois OL Bodey McCaslin Commits to Hawkeyes

The Iowa Hawkeyes have been steadily building momentum on the recruiting trail. After signing the 31st ranked 2023 recruiting class in February, Iowa has been pushing ahead not only with a tremendous group of transfers via the portal (teaser alert: the Hawkeyes played host to one of the best WRs in the class of 2022 this week and look to be well-positioned to add a game-changer to what has already been a remarkable haul of transfers), but also with a top-25 class for 2024.

That class got even stronger on Tuesday as St. Charles, Illinois offensive tackle Bodey McCaslin announced his commitment to the Hawkeyes via Twitter.

McCaslin is an intriguing prospect who is in the prime of his early development. At 6’5”, he’s put on 15 pounds to that massive frame over the last year and now stands at 270 pounds. That’s still a bit slight for a Big Ten offensive tackle, but the steady growth has helped McCaslin keep excellent lateral mobility and athleticism.

It also hasn’t come at the expense of power, which McCaslin regularly uses on film to bully his way over smaller defenders. He’s able to take advantage of his athleticism to get out in space, hunt down second level defenders and use his strength to overpower them in the run game. In pass sets, he uses that same lateral mobility to stay in front of pass rushers and then takes advantage of his long reach to keep defenders at bay.

Given he’s just a junior and continuing to develop, there are still areas to improve upon, but with his current trajectory it’s not unreasonable to expect McCaslin to get up to 285+ by the time he leaves St. Charles East and continue to refine his skills on the line during a redshirt season with the Hawkeyes. Look for him to be a potential contributor up front for the Hawkeyes as early as 2025 and continue the long legacy of athletic big men becoming successful tackles under Kirk Ferentz.

McCaslin chose the Hawkeyes over offers from Penn State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Purdue, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Colorado, Vanderbilt, Syracuse and others. He’s a 3-star prospect according to Rivals, 247 Sports and On3. He’s rated as the 50th overall tackle prospect in the class and the #15 overall prospect from the state of Illinois per On3.

The addition of McCaslin takes Iowa’s class of 2024 up to ten total commitments. The class is now ranked 15th nationally according to 247 Sports (18th per Rivals ad 23rd per On3). That’s good for 4th in the Big Ten (5th per Rivals and 6th per On3).

McCaslin is the second commitment for the Hawkeyes from the state of Illinois, joining fellow offensive lineman Josh Janowski. Along with Janowski and Iowa native Cody Fox, Iowa now has three offensive linemen officially on board in the class of 2024. Keep your eyes peeled for another commitment up front for the Hawkeyes in the coming days.

Welcome aboard Bodey McCaslin!

Bodey McCaslin, OT
Ht: 6’5”
Wt: 270 lbs
Hometown: Saint Charles, IL (St. Charles East)
Stars: 247 Sports - 3; Rivals - 3