Hawks, Cyclones begin 
to build recruiting classes

College football teams around the country are working hard trying to find future all-Americans and potential Heisman Trophy winners. And things are no different in Iowa City or Ames where both the Hawkeyes and Cyclones have begun to bulld their 2010 recruiting classes.

Iowa, which finished 9-4 last season and defeated South Carolina in the Outback Bowl, has gotten five verbal commitments since Solon’s James Morris gave his pledge last September.

Morris — a 6-foot-2, 200-pound three-star athlete — was Iowa’s Gatorade Player of the Year last season after leading Solon to the Class 2A state title. He was one of the state’s best running backs but is expected to move to linebacker at Iowa. Morris is ranked as the 31st best outside linebacker in the nation.

Joining Morris as an Iowa commitment are four more three-star defensive players, led by Michigan middle linebacker Austin Gray, who pledged his allegiance to the Hawks back in early April. Gray is a 6-2, 200-pound athlete who is ranked 15th at his position.

Also in the fold for 2010 are Baltimore, Md., teammates Jim Poggi and Anthony Ferguson, Jr. Poggi is a 6-2, 212-pound middle linebacker who is ranked 27th in the nation at his position. Ferguson Jr. is expected to play defensive tackle for Iowa and he is a three-star athlete that is ranked No. 67 at his position. Poggi committed April 26, while Ferguson jumped on board a little more than a month later.

The latest edition to Iowa’s 2010 recruiting class is defensive end Louis Trinca-Pasat of Chicago. Trinca-Pasat stands 6-3 and weighs 235 pounds. He is ranked No. 79 at his position and committed coach Iowa and coach Kirk Ferentz this past Saturday.

While Iowa’s focus has been on the defensive side of the ball so far this offseason, Iowa State and new coach Paul Rhoads has gotten a verbal commitment from Texas quarterback Jared Barnett. Barnett is a three-star signal caller from Garland, Texas, and he is ranked 82nd at his position. He stands 6-1 and weighs 185 pounds.

The Cyclones went 2-10 last year under Gene Chizik, who left the program to coach at Auburn this season. Rhoads is a former Cyclone assistant and Ankeny native.