Nineteen recruits officially became Hawkeyes on Wednesday, as players in Iowa’s 2020 recruiting class signed their National Letters of Intent to play for head coach Kirk Ferentz and his staff.

The group consists of nine defenders and 10 offensive players, with three early enrollees in tight end Elijah Yelverton, running back Gavin Williams, and offensive lineman Mason Richman.

“This is three years in the making with our staff and support staff,” Iowa director of recruiting Tyler Barnes said. “…It’s good to see it come full circle and see these guys really finally sign today.”

Barnes, along with offensive recruiting coordinator Derrick Foster and defensive recruiting coordinator Jay Niemann, took to the podium to discuss Iowa’s recruiting class.

Offense

The offensive side of Iowa’s 2020 class is highlighted by quarterback Deuce Hogan, a three-star signal-caller from Southlake, Texas.

An early commit, Hogan played a key role in recruiting others on social media.

Barnes said Hogan gave a speech during Iowa’s big commitment weekend in June, leaving Barnes — one of the few staff members to stay in the room — shocked.

“It certainly helps to get a guy that wants to help you recruit and wants to help you get guys around him,” Barnes said. “Obviously, he kind of takes some ownership in the class.”

That recruiting stretched to Yelverton, another player from Texas who can fill an important role at tight end.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Yelverton’s commitment to Iowa shows the footing the Hawkeyes are on after the performances their tight ends have produced in recent years.

“Certainly, [Noah] Fant and [T.J.] Hockenson grabbing all the headlines they did, that didn’t hurt,” Barnes said. “But I think it just got to the point where he just kind of knew he was ready to get the process over. He felt good about everything here, reached out to us. It happened probably a little quicker than we thought it would.”

Iowa also signed a pair of running backs in Gavin Williams and Leshon Williams.

Foster said he likes the personality of both players, noting that Williams drove from Altoona, Iowa, to Iowa City to commit in Ferentz’s office in person.

“Both of these guys both bring a toughness and a grit, and a physicality about themselves,” Foster said. “They’re very competitive.”

Defense 

Iowa needed to travel to some pretty difficult places to bag a few recruits, but it worked out for the Hawkeyes.

“There are certainly kids — you don’t have to be from a big school or a big city,” Niemann said. “There’s something about small-town country kids that have just a little bit different grittiness and toughness to them.”

That includes Lena, Illinois, native Isaiah Bruce.

Bruce, a 265-pound defensive lineman, has experience playing other positions as well, finding time at running back and linebacker in high school and in camps.

“Just finding out from area coaches who are the guys in the area that really jump out on you from school to school, and when the same names keep popping up, the you go into that school and you research that young man,” Niemann said. “Here’s a guy that’s 265 pounds running tailback. He’s taking toss sweeps and running down the field and running away from defensive backs.”

Niemann said the program doesn’t recruit based on position on the defensive line. Instead of looking at players as ends and tackles, he said they simply call them defensive linemen.

An in-state player who will also be joining that unit is Lewis Central’s Logan Jones.

A four-star end, Jones also earned offers from Iowa State, Nebraska, and Minnesota. He already has good size, standing at 6-foot-3 and weighing 260 pounds, but he will only improve more physically under Iowa strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle.

“Logan Jones is mature beyond his years physically,” Niemann said. “If you’ve seen him, he’s a rocked up-looking dude, and he plays like he looks. When Logan hits the pile, the pile moves that way.”