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The Iowa Hawkeyes are back at it again on the recruiting trail. After a slight reprieve in the middle of last week, Iowa got back into the swing of things with their fourth commitment in four days when Illinois WR KJ Parker announced his commitment to the Hawkeyes last Thursday.
Now, after giving the coaching staff and fanbase each the weekend to catch their breath, the ball is once again rolling. On Monday afternoon, just before the Independence Day holiday, the Hawkeyes reeled in their fifth commitment from the ten official visitors the last weekend in June (that includes Graham Eben, who also committed to the Hawkeyes last week as a preferred walk-on) as St. Louis defensive end Joseph Anderson announced his decision to join the Hawkeyes.
1 Corinthians 10:31! I’m grateful to God to announce my commitment to play football and run track at the University of Iowa! @CoachK_Bell @Abdul_Hodge @TylerBarnesIOWA @Woody400h @JNIGHT400 @TheIowaHawkeyes @IowaXC_TF #SWARM24 #GoHawkeyes pic.twitter.com/7Q1iGoqf7o
— Joseph Anderson (@josephAnderso3) July 3, 2023
Similar to Phoenix DE Devan Kennedy, who kicked things off on this commitment train a week ago, Anderson is a relatively raw prospect who oozes potential. While Kennedy just wrapped up his first year playing football, Anderson is a bit further along having played for three seasons. However, he’s still developing his technique while leveraging his elite athleticism.
Despite his massive frame at 6’5”, Anderson enters his senior year at just 215 pounds. He’s got tremendous speed and quickness for a defensive end, making a name for himself at Westminster Christian Academy as a track star, qualifying for the Missouri state track meet in the 110 hurdles, long jump and the triple jump.
On the gridiron, Anderson uses that speed and quickness to blow past opposing linemen to get around the edge or track down backs in open space. His pass rush technique continues to develop, but he’s already well adept at utilizing his long reach to get his hands into linemen and shed blocks with a dip to wreak havoc in the backfield. As a junior, his talents earned him All-State honors in Missouri’s class 3 after racking up 54 tackles and six sacks as a junior.
Anderson chose the Hawkeyes over offers from Nebraska, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Iowa State, Vanderbilt, Wyoming and others. The addition of Anderson takes Iowa’s class of 2024 up to 17 total commitments. The class is ranked 30th nationally according to On3 (32nd per Rivals and 30th per 247 Sports). That’s good for 9th in the Big Ten (9th per Rivals and 247 Sports).
Now the Hawkeyes look to keep the momentum going and close in on a perfect sweep from that big official visit weekend. Remaining uncommitted prospects who visited include Ohio defensive back Jaylen Watson, Texas defensive end Chima Chineke, and Florida defensive backs Rashad Godfrey and Xavier Lucas.
Welcome aboard Joseph Anderson!
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