Not all states are created equal when it comes to producing Division I football talent. And, unfortunately, the state of Iowa is not a top producer. Of the 8 states in which Big Ten schools inhabit, only Wisconsin ranks worse in terms of producing BCS-conferences football players (Minnesota is tied with Iowa). For this reason, recruiting the talent that is in-state is vitally important to the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Top Iowa Talent - 2010:
The good news is, Iowa's coaching staff is doing a great job recruiting the best instate talent for the class of 2010. The Hawkeyes have already picked up verbal commitments from James Morris, Matt Hoch, Brandon Scherff, and Austin Vier. That is 4 of the top 10 Iowa prospects as rated by Rivals.com. Iowa also has a good shot with Andre Dawson and an okay chance with A.J. Derby. Only one in the top 10, Kirby Van Der Kamp, a kicker, has committed elsewhere. Scout features a similar top 10 in Iowa list in which the Hawkeyes have commitments from 3 of the 10.

RankRivalsScout
1A.J. DerbyAndre Dawson
2James MorrisA.J. Derby
3Andre DawsonBrandon Sherff
4Matt HochJames Morris
5Brandon ScherffMatt Hoch
6James KohlerJames Kohler
7Austin VierZach McCabe
8Jacob GannonCole Heissel
9Jake FarleyBrock Massner
10Kirby Van Der KampJake Farley


Iowans on the Roster:
This is definitely not the first year that Kirk Ferentz and his staff have been successful recruiting in state. In the past 3 years, 50% of the total in-state BCS-conference talents have ended up Hawkeyes. On the current roster there are 52 players from the state of Iowa (out of 114...that's 45.6%). Of the current projected starter for the first game of the year (so Vandervelde and Calloway are not in there), 5 are Iowans: Daniel Murray, Jordan Bernstine, Tyler Sash, Brett Greenwood, and Pat Angerer.

Considering the lack of football that come out of Iowa, I'd say Kirk Ferentz has done a great job getting the guys to join the Hawkeyes and he's certainly developed their talent. I'm also excited about the 4 in-state guys that have committed for 2010. I'm hopeful about Derby and Dawson as well. Go state of Iowa!