By Jordan Zuniga
Late Sunday night, the Hawkeye football team received exciting news; one might say it was a Father’s Day wish.
The football program received word that offensive tackle Cody Ince orally committed to Iowa that evening.
The 6-5, 260-pound senior from Balsam Lake, Wisconsin, is the eighth oral commitment for the class of 2018. The three-star recruit ranks as the No. 11 recruit from his state, and he declined offers from the likes of Minnesota, North Dakota State, Maryland, Purdue, and Virginia.
Ince made the announcement on Twitter, writing, “After giving it a lot of thought, weighing my options, and processing all of my generous offers, I am excited to announce that I am 100% committed to continuing my academic and athletics career as an Iowa Hawkeye.”
He paired the social-media post with photos of his written commitment as well as photos of his family and head coach Kirk Ferentz during a visit to campus.
Ince wasn’t the only one happy to announce his decision, Tyler Barnes the Iowa football director of recruiting posted a warm welcome for the Hawkeyes’ newest recruit.
“Big time addition to the @HawkeyeFootball OL. Tough, Smart, Physical, 3-Sport ATH. Will fit in perfectly in the OL Room,” Barnes wrote.
New offensive-line coach Tim Polasek was a major reason the Hawkeyes were able to get Ince.
While Polasek has only been on the job for a few months, he has keyed in on how Iowa recruits, and he has recruited consistent players in the Upper Midwest.
Ince is also the second major recruit that Polasek has landed; he was instrumental in luring Green Bay native Henry Geil as well.
Polasek has not been the only assistant coach who has done some recruiting this year. Kelton Copland is directly responsible for bringing in wide receivers Tyrone Tracy and Samson Evans.
The Hawkeyes have long prided themselves on their offensive line, and with at least three of its five starters being seniors, and three of the five backups being juniors, Iowa needs to start looking ahead for depth.
The Hawkeyes have added 2018 recruit Jeff Jenkins to the line and hopes that both Jenkins and Ince can be solid linemen in the years to come.
Iowa’s 2018 recruiting class ranks No. 49 in the nation so far.
While 49th does not look so good, Hawkeye fans shouldn’t worry, because that number is likely to climb in the coming days.
Ince was a big win for Iowa, especially considering the Kirk Ferentz versus P.J. Fleck prospects battle. The Minnesota head coach, known for his recruiting prowess, was in hot pursuit of Ince.
And Iowa could steal another from Fleck this week; Illinois recruit Noah Shannon is expected to announce his decision sometime soon.
Iowa, once a program built on the ability to turn a two-star recruit into a four-star college player, hopes to change a little bit to become a school that is able to land high-profile recruits, and the last few recruiting classes have begun to reflect that.
