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CARING IS CREEPY 2017: HAVE A SEAT, DJIMON COLBERT

Kelvin Bell finishes his first weekend on the job with a big defensive commitment.

By Patrick Vint

This weekend's Junior Day recruiting event was new recruiting coordinator Kelvin Bell's first formal audition.  If the results of the event are any indication, Iowa recruiting is in capable hands.  The biggest prize of the weekend: Iowa received a verbal commitment from Kansas City safety Djimon Colbert, one of the Hawkeyes' top targets for 2017:

Colbert, who was being primarily recruited by LeVar Woods, chose Iowa over offers from Nebraska, Iowa State and Kansas.  He was given a four-star grade by 247 and three stars from Rivals and ESPN.  He is a former high school teammate of linebacker Aaron Mends, which probably didn't hurt, especially when Mends has convinced Colbert that he can see the future:

Iowa's freshman linebacker told former high school teammate, Djimon Colbert, before this season that the Hawkeyes were going to make a run at the college football playoffs. No one outside of the program expected much from them.

After a lackluster 7-6 campaign last year, Iowa won its first 12 contests this fall before losing 16-13 to Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship game on Dec. 5. The No. 5 Hawkeyes were chosen to play sixth-ranked Stanford in the Rose Bowl, their first trip to the Granddaddy of the them all in a quarter of a century.

Colbert is the sixth commitment in Iowa's 2017 class, putting the Hawkeyes well ahead of last year's neckbreaking pace.  With a borderline five-star commitment and three players who have received four-star ratings from at least one service, and the Hawkeyes in contention for at least two more four-star recruits, Iowa might well be setting the table for its best class since 2006.

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