By Blake Dowson
A flurry of commitments in the 2017 recruiting class in the past couple days has bolstered an already-impressive list of commitments for Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz and the rest of his coaching staff.
A 12-2 season that culminates with a trip to the Big Ten Championship and Rose Bowl, paired with top-of-the-line facilities, will do that for a program.
The big-time recruiting dominoes started to fall when Illinois defensive end A.J. Epenesa committed to play for the Hawkeyes a year from this fall. Although he was one of the first players to give Iowa the nod in the 2017 class, he will more than likely remain the crown jewel of the class.
Epenesa, whose father, Eppy, played at Iowa in the 1990s, is the No. 34-ranked player in the nation according to Rivals.com and the No. 1 strong side defensive end. He chose Iowa over Alabama, Florida State, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma, among other blue bloods.
The next big domino was Texas running back Eno Benjamin, a 5-9, 200-pound freight train ranked as the No. 7 tailback in the nation by Rivals.
The Wylie, Texas, product is as powerful as they come, and his 5-9 frame helps him to get leverage on just about every defender who challenges him.
Perhaps Benjamin’s best intangible is his willingness to recruit other players from the state of Texas. He has been all over social media talking to other Iowa recruiting targets and frequently posts pictures with big-time Texas targets.
The recruiting combination of Benjamin and offensive coordinator Greg Davis — who used to hold the same position at Texas — has been effective in the Lone Star State. Iowa has picked up four commitments from Texas and seems to be picking up momentum.
Iowa has picked up two players from Texas in the past three days, with cornerback Matt Hankins and wide receiver Gavin Holmes pledging to the Hawkeyes.
Hankins has good height at 6-1 for a corner and definitely has the length to play the position. At 160 pounds, he has a lot of filling out to do, but that will surely happen with another full year before he gets to Iowa City and a summer with strength coach Chris Doyle before he starts his Hawkeye career.
A Flower Mound, Texas, native, Hankins is the No. 51 corner in the nation, according to Rivals.
Holmes is a speedster at wideout, standing at 5-11 and 180 pounds. He will add to the depth of speed receiver at Iowa, though the Hawkeyes still lack a big, physical receiver in either of the next two recruiting classes.
Recruiting coordinator Kelvin Bell got a big-time commitment out of Mississippi on Sunday when wide receiver Brandon Smith signed on with Iowa. Smith could be that big receiver Iowa seeks; he stands at 6-3 and 200 pounds.
Cameron Harrell, a defensive back by way of Bradley, Illinois, was the fourth high-school player to jump on board with Iowa in the past three days.
Harrell, who is listed as a cornerback, may slot in better at safety with his 5-10, 181-pound frame. Similar to Hankins, Harrell has time to fill out and could show up at Iowa close to 200 pounds if the Iowa coaches feel it would benefit him.
With the four recent commitments, Iowa has totaled 14 in the 2017 class. Led by Epenesa and Benjamin, Rivals has the class ranked No. 20 in the nation and fifth in the Big Ten.
