Recruiting roundup: Iowa commits continue unbeaten starts; Samson Evans shines
Notable performances among Iowa football commits from across the country last week …
Samson Evans
Quarterback, Prairie Ridge (Ill.)
Iowa wants Evans as a wide receiver. Illinois has one last season to watch him as a flat-out football player.
The 5-foot-11 athlete put in what the Chicago Sun-Times described as a “jaw-dropping performance” on Friday against 14th-ranked Huntley, leading Prairie Ridge to a 51-43 victory with six total touchdowns.
Evans had 29 carries for 245 yards and five scores on the ground and added a 4-of-7 passing night with 113 yards and another touchdown. The senior was USA TODAY’S ALL-USA Illinois offensive player of the year in 2016 and could repeat if he and second-ranked Prairie Ridge continue to roll this fall.
Tyler Linderbaum
Defensive tackle, Solon
Solon has yet to allow a point through two games against ranked opponents, and Linderbaum is a central reason why. The 6-2, 270-pound nose guard and center has been a wrecking ball in the middle and contributed one solo tackle and seven assisted tackles against Iowa City Regina on Friday.
Add in the athleticism to block a punt and almost tip another and Linderbaum could raise his stock as the No. 5 prospect in the state’s 2018 class according to 247 Sports.
Scouting report:Iowa football commit Tyler Linderbaum displays power, versatility
Jack Plumb
Tight end, Bay Port (Wis.)
Plumb plays tight end for his high school offense, but Iowa projects him as a future offensive lineman and it’s easy to see why. The 6-foot-8, 245-pound senior has caught just one pass this season — 11 yards for a touchdown — but is blocking beyond his No. 89 jersey in Bay Port’s impressive 3-0 start.
Plumb’s squad has outscored its first three opponents 180-20 with the big man playing on the end of both lines.
Tyrone Tracy Jr.
Running back, Decatur Central (Ind.)
The senior standout in the first entry of this weekly series is still lighting up scoreboards in Iowa’s hottest new recruiting territory. Tracy rushed 17 times for 194 yards and two touchdowns in a 55-28 win over Whiteland, adding one play for 64 yards and a touchdown through the air. He’s averaging 136.7 yards rushing and 104.7 yards receiving through three games with the Hawks.
Tracy’s younger cousin Larry, a 2019 commit for the Hawkeyes, chipped in 11 tackles on the defensive side of the ball.
Recruiting roundup:How future Hawkeyes performed in prep football Week 1
News and notes
- Iowa’s two latest commits saw their teams go head-to-head in Indianapolis, with Julius Brents’ Warren Central taking a 42-21 victory over D.J. Johnson’s North Central. Both players are considered three-star defensive backs and gave verbals to the Hawkeyes in August. Johnson’s team has already surpassed its 2016 win total with a 2-1 start.
- Offensive line commit Cody Ince from Balsam Lake, Wis., shined with a 10-tackle performance in Week 2, but ended up with an odd bye in Week 3. Ince’s Unity squad was on the positive end of a forfeit by Washburn/Bayfield/South Shore, which canceled its Division 6 season in late August due to low participation.
- Running back recruit Henry Geil was featured in a story last week on high school athletes using social media positively and safely. The Green Bay, Wis., native was held under 100 yards rushing for the first time this season in a Thursday loss, with 17 carries racking up 95 yards for Preble. “Twitter is an outlet for I’d probably say updates,” Geil told USA TODAY Network-Wisconsin before the game. “Try to keep it professional. That’s what I’m trying to focus on.”
