Wednesday was National Signing Day for collegiate football programs around the country. Fans from everywhere are glued to social media or to the internet signing day shows to see how their favorite college program plans to improve their rosters.
I used to be the kind of fan who was locked in on recruiting. I knew every one of those kids’ names, who was on their list with my favorite school and even the chances they signed with that school.
As I get older, recruiting means less and less to me.
Not because I don’t think it means anything. It’s important. But because as I get older, my priorities change, and we are talking about 18-year-old kids for the most part.
The number of recruiting sites has grown since I was hardcore interested in it. The main ones used to be scout.com and rivals.com. Two others — 247sports.com and ESPN.com — have been added to the mix.
That just gives the players more of a chance to become a 4- or 5-star recruit.
Both Iowa and Iowa State fared well this recruiting season.
I don’t follow ESPN.com’s rankings because all of its content costs extra, and I don’t pay for that stuff when I can get it for free elsewhere.
The three other sites have Iowa ranked at 40 (scout/rivals) and 41 (24/7) nationally. Iowa State’s ranking is more on the inconsistent side. The Cyclones’ highest ranking was 44th by rivals.com. Scout.com ranked Matt Campbell’s second class 50th, and 24/7 had Iowa State at 53.
Recruiting is a non-exact science. A few “experts” are the ones ranking these kids. Most of the time, they are spot on but plenty of two-star players and walk-ons turn out to be all-conference caliber players.
The headliners of Iowa’s class are defensive end A.J. Epenesa and offensive linemen Tristan Wirfs of Mount Vernon and Mark Kallenberger of Bettendorf.
Epenesa is a consensus five-star legacy recruit who is expected to make an immediate impact. He and Wirfs were both impressive at the Army All-American game.
Wirfs is a consensus four-star player who could be more than 300 pounds as a true freshman when he arrives in Iowa City this summer.
Kallenberger is a four-star recruit on one site and a three-star player at the other two. But offensive lineman usually turn out well in Iowa City.
Iowa State was in the top 40s early in the recruiting process, mainly because the coaching staff got a lot of commitments early in the game. Iowa caught up to the Cyclones with a fantastic final few days.
The Cyclones listed five four-star recruits on all of their social media marketing designs.
Four of those players are junior college transfers that should play right away in Ames. The Cyclones also went after a few grad transfers to shore up the offensive line.
Iowa doesn’t go after JUCO players and grad transfers very often, but the staff did get a pledge from former Newton standout Nick Easley, who was a JUCO All-American at Iowa Western Community College.
For the most part, Iowa and Iowa State’s 2017 classes are made up of three-star athletes who fit their system.
Don’t get too caught up in the stars. They mean something. Not everything.
Contact Troy Hyde
at thyde@newtondailynews.com