Last week, Iowa picked up arguably its biggest commit for 2010 as tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz came to Iowa City as an Illini and left a Hawkeye. Fiedorowicz liked Iowa's use of its tight ends in the offense and the atmosphere of Kinnick Stadium. I'm sure it didn't hurt that Iowa is 10-2 and likely headed to a BCS bowl while Illinois has a whopping 3 wins and will be home for the holidays.
Fiedorowicz is the 20th player to verbally commit to the Hawkeyes and the 2nd from the state of Illinois (which has been a hotbed for Iowa...if I counted right, 17 on the current roster are from Illinois). He is rated 4-stars by both Scout and Rivals.
High School:
C.J. attended Johnsburg High School in Johnsburg, Illinois. The Skyhawks recently wrapped up an 8-4 season with a 10-28 loss in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A Illinois playoffs. Fiedorowicz led the way all season on both offense and defense. He primarily lined up as a receiver in high school, though is being recruited as a tight end. This season he caught 44 passes for 921 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also had 49 receptions for 809 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior.
Fiedorowicz is also a good basketball player (kind of like another TE that Iowa is enjoying right now). Johnsburg is currently sitting 3-0 and Fiedorowicz is currently coming off a 10 point, 9 rebound effort.
Quick Thoughts:
This guy is a real threat in the red zone. He caught 26 TD passes in just 21 games in the past 2 years. He is very tall at 6'7'', has great hands, and knows how to go up and catch a ball. You can watch him make some big plays in a game from week 3 on YouTube (you've probably seen this video if you read other stories on the kid). He could be a huge mismatch if covered by a short safety or a slower linebacker. Obviously, lining up primarily as a receiver in high school, he doesn't have the experience blocking that a Kirk Ferentz tight end needs. So that is one thing he will need to work on hard if he wants to see significant playing time next year. If not, he may be used just in obvious passing situations.