This is an examination limited to recruits who played their senior year at an Iowa high school and signed a National Letter of Intent to play football at the Football Bowl Subdivision level (known as Division I-A until 2006). Players who walked on at Division I colleges and later earned a scholarship and players who first signed with a junior college were not included.
Rankings were compiled and players in each class were researched and reviewed by Jamie DeMoney using various online recruiting databases, all-conference and All-America lists, and biographies provided by players’ colleges as reference material. Final rankings were determined by assessing the overall success at the college level of players in each class compared to the other classes. Injuries, academic casualties and other non-football factors were given no special consideration or exception. In other words, players who did not have successful college careers were treated equally, regardless of circumstances.
Part II will follow next week with an examination of Nebraska signees from the 2000s.
1. 2004 (21 Football Bowl Subdivision signees)
Head of the class: Mitch King (Burlington), Iowa
The state’s largest crop of recruits in the decade was also arguably its best. Of the 21 Iowans who signed with I-A schools, five became All-Big Ten performers and three – King, Cedar Rapids Washington’s Adrian Arrington (Michigan) and PCM’s Brandon Myers (Iowa) – are currently on NFL rosters.
2. 2008 (12 FBS signees)
Head of the class: Adam Robinson (Lincoln of Des Moines), Iowa
Robinson, who led the Hawkeyes in rushing as a redshirt freshman, is one of five ’08 signees who have already seen minutes as a starter. Linn-Mar’s Grant Mahoney was the first Iowa State kicker to make 17 field goals in a season since 2002 and has 30 in two years. The highest-rated prospect in the class was Harlan’s Dan Hoch, a tackle who became a starter as a true sophomore for Missouri.
3. 2001 (16 FBS signees)
Head of the class: Kyle Orton (Southeast Polk), Purdue
Orton, one of only two Iowans from the decade who started for an NFL team last season, heads a list of signees that included three future All-Big Ten or All-Big 12 players. This was a highly touted class that saw players sign with seven different programs, including Arizona State and Oklahoma. The biggest letdown of the class was Atlantic’s Blake Larsen, both a Parade and USA Today All-American who saw minimal action at Iowa.
4. 2007 (9 FBS signees)
Head of the class: Tyler Sash (Oskaloosa), Iowa
This tied for the smallest recruiting haul of the decade but still it’s already paying dividends for one program. Sash earned All-America accolades his sophomore year while fellow Hawkeyes Colin Sandeman (Bettendorf) and Allen Reisner (Marion) have developed into proven receivers. The highest-rated recruit of the class was Des Moines Lincoln’s Jordan Bernstine, who was expected to be a starting cornerback for Iowa before breaking his ankle during two-a-days last season.
5. 2009 (13 FBS signees)
Head of the class: Brandon Wegher (Bishop Heelan Catholic), Iowa
Wegher had a victory-clinching touchdown run in the Orange Bowl and Cedar Rapids Washington’s Keenan Davis also saw playing time for the Hawkeyes last year as a true freshman. There still is a lot of upside in this class. Two of its highest-rated prospects – Michigan State offensive lineman David Barrent (West Des Moines Valley) and Iowa receiver Darian Cotton (Mount Pleasant) – could emerge after redshirting last season.
6. 2003 (18 FBS signees)
Head of the class: Todd Blythe (Indianola), Iowa State
The second-largest recruiting crop of the decade produced the Cyclones’ all-time leading receiver (Blythe), as well as its all-time leading passer (Atlantic’s Brett Meyer). Iowa also cashed in with Central Lyon’s Mike Klinkenborg and New Hampton’s Mike Humpal, who became two-year starting linebackers. The only reason this class isn’t rated higher is because it produced zero future NFL players.
7. 2000 (15 FBS signees)
Head of the class: Nate Kaeding (Iowa City West), Iowa
Kaeding won the Lou Groza Award at Iowa and was the NFL’s most accurate kicker for the 2009 regular season. Johnston’s Quinn Sypniewski (Colorado) started 12 games in 2006 and 2007 for the Baltimore Ravens before missing back-to-back seasons with a knee injury. While the class did produce six other players who became starters at four different colleges, none earned all-conference recognition.
8. 2006 (9 FBS signees)
Head of the class: Austen Arnaud (Ames), Iowa State
Like 2007, there were only nine Iowans who signed Division I-A scholarship offers in 2006. But unlike 2007, there are no real stars in this group. The growth of Arnaud – a junior in 2009 – has been hampered by playing for three different head coaches in his college career. On the plus side, this class has produced six players who are starters.
9. 2005 (12 FBS signees)
Head of the class: Pat Angerer (Bettendorf), Iowa
Angerer was an All-American last year and led the Hawkeyes in tackles the last two seasons. He is the bright spot in an otherwise disappointing group that included U.S. Army All-American Game participant Tyler Blum of Walnut (Iowa) and Miami signee Matt Pipho from La Porte City-Union.
10. 2002 (14 FBS signees)
Head of the class: Mike Elgin (Western Dubuque), Iowa
The 2002 group featured Mason City’s Scott Raridon (Notre Dame) and Oelwein’s Chris Felder (Iowa). However, Elgin is the only player in the class who became an all-conference performer.
Other findings
* West Des Moines Valley had the most Division I signees in the 2000s of any high school in Iowa with 11. (Not surprisingly, the Tigers won four Class 4A state championships during the decade.) The next highest total belonged to Iowa City-City High with eight followed by Ankeny, Bettendorf, and Muscatine with five apiece.
* Roughly two out of every 10 Iowans who signed with FBS teams in the 2000s were from the five high schools located in Iowa City and West Des Moines.
* Iowa State signed 50 Iowans during the 10-year period, including a total of 22 in 2003 and 2004. Iowa successfully recruited 44 in-state players, including a bumper crop of nine in 2009.
* More Iowans signed with Nebraska last decade than any other out-of-state program. The Huskers attracted four recruits from the state while Kansas, Kansas State, and Northern Illinois each picked up three.
Jamie DeMoney has covered high school sports and recruiting for more than 15 years. He is editor and founder of PrepNation.com. You can reach him at PrepNation@aol.com.
