2017 Iowa Football Recruiting Rewind
On paper, many thought this wasn’t a very deep recruiting class for the Iowa Hawkeyes. They had a couple of headliners in Tristan Wirfs and A.J. Epenesa, and then a class that looks a lot like other groups.
While this class was ranked 49th by On3.com and 10th in the Big Ten, this was an incredibly productive class for the Hawkeyes. Upwards of nine players ended up being key contributors and multiple year starters for the Iowa football program.
Let’s take a look back at the 2017 Iowa football recruiting class and rank them once again.
Coy Kirkpatrick – DL – 3 Star
The in-state standout was the first commitment for the Hawkeyes in this class. He flipped to playing offensive line early on and then injuries took their toll on his career. Ranking 3 Star
Tristan Wirfs – OL – 4 Star
It’s kind of amazing that Wirfs really only had Iowa and Iowa State as offers given the type of player he was at the prep level. But he committed early, never did the camp circuit, and honestly wanted to stay close to home. All he did was move into the starting lineup as a true freshman and never leave. After his third year, he was named Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, first team All Big Ten, and either first or second team All American depending on where you looked. Ranking – 5 Star
Jacob Coons – TE – 3 Star
Another local product who jumped on board early on in the recruiting process. He redshirted in his first year on campus and then left following his second season. Initially he said he was stepping away from football, but he ended up playing two seasons at Northern Iowa. Ranking – 3 Star
A.J. Epenesa – DL – 5 Star
The legacy recruit lived up to the hype and then some. Epenesa was one of the biggest recruits of the Ferentz era and as expected, he made an immediate impact. Moved into the starting lineup as a junior. Finished his Iowa career with 101 tackles, 36.5 tackles for loss, including 26.5 sacks. He also had an incredible nine forced fumbles. He was named defensive MVP of the Holiday Bowl, first team All Big Ten in back to back seasons, and one serviced named him first team All American. Ranking – 5 Star
Djimon Colbert – LB – 3 Star
After a redshirt season, Colbert moved into the starting lineup for ten games in his second year with the Iowa program. Then he started every game in his third season at linebacker. In those two seasons, he had 113 tackles, 3.5 for loss, and one interception. He opted out of playing the 2020 season and then left Iowa. Ranking 3 Star
Mark Kallenberger – OL – 4 Star
Like Colbert, Kallenberger decided to walk away from playing football while he still have eligibility remaining. His was more injury and health related. After a redshirt season, Kallenberger played in four games as a second year player. He then started 9 of the last 18 games he played at Iowa, finishing up with the 2020 season. He played both guard and tackle for the Hawkeyes and was honorable mention all Big Ten in 2020. Ranking – 3 Star
Ivory Kelly-Martin – RB – 3 Star
Here is one of those what might have been players. Kelly-Martin played as a true freshman and showed a lot of promise. That year he had 20 carries for 184 yards and three scores. He was Iowa’s starting running back to open the next season, but injured his ankle. He ended up starting six games that year. Injuries slowed his progress and his playing time on offense dwindled. He was a solid special teams player as well. Kelly-Martin finished with 804 yards rushing and 6 touchdowns. He also caught 25 passes for 199 yards and one score. Ranking – 3 Star
Levi Duwa – DL – 3 Star
Another in-state player who came to Iowa and then was done due mainly to injuries. Duwa was recruited as a defensive lineman. He then flipped to offense before leaving the program in the summer of 2019. Ranking – 3 Star
Peyton Mansell – QB – 3 Star
The Hawkeyes took one quarterback in this class and they went to the Lone Star state to find him. He saw action as a redshirt freshman at quarterback with five completed passes in eight attempts for 83 yards and one interception. With Spencer Petras becoming the starting quarterback, Mansell left in January of 2020 and transferred to Abilene Christian University. In the next three years, he started 26 games. Ranking – 3 Star
Cameron Harrell – DB – 3 Star
His stay at Iowa was very brief. In fact, just one year before he left and then eventually landed at DuPage Junior College. Harrell then transferred to Southern Miss where he had a successful career at a defensive back. Ranking – 3 Star
Brandon Smith – WR – 3 Star
Speaking of the state of Mississippi, Iowa found a good one from there in Smith. He played right away, catching three passes and playing in ten games as a true freshman. Then he started 26 of the next 29 games for the Hawkeyes. Smith caught 91 passes for 1046 yards and 9 touchdowns in his Iowa career. Ranking – 3 Star
Matt Hankins – DB – 3 Star
The Lone Star State prep was a solid get for the Hawkeyes in the recruiting process. He played cornerback as a true freshman, including a pair of starts. He then started 35 of the next 36 games for the Hawkeyes. Hankins finished with 27 passes defended and 6 interceptions. Hankins was second team All-Big Ten in his senior season, second team All American by two services, and semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award. Ranking – 4 Star
Josh Turner – DB – 3 Star
After redshirting as a true freshman, Turner played in 12 games, primarily on special teams, logging five tackles. Then he announced he was leaving the Iowa football program. He then transferred to Florida International where he was a starter. Ranking – 3 Star
Max Cooper – WR – 3 Star
The Iowa career of Cooper looked promising in his first year on campus. He was a pleasant surprise, earning playing time in six games. Then the injury bug took over, including a knee injury that kept him out for a season. He did become a key contributor on special teams. Overall, he had five receptions for 14 yards. Ranking – 3 Star
Henry Marchase – WR – 3 Star
We just mentioned specials teams and that is how Marchase made his biggest impact as a Hawkeye. He bounced between receiver and defensive back, but mainly was a key special team’s performer. He blocked a punt against Nebraska that changed the trajectory of that game. Ranking – 3 Star
Kyshaun Bryan – RB – 3 Star
The stay for Bryant at Iowa was a short one. He redshirted and looked promising, but got caught in the log jam at running back and left in the fall of 2018. Ended up at junior college. Ranking – 3 Star
Trey Creamer – DB – 3 Star
Creamer never made an impact at Iowa. He was on the depth chart as a redshirt freshman, but got passed up by other players. He transferred in 2018 and landed at Charlotte and started for them for two years. Ranking – 3 Star
Nate Wieland – LB – 3 Star
Wieland was an interesting story. Iowa City kid who gets offered late and injuries slow him down. He ends up leaving and transferring to Iowa Western Community College and then lands at Grandview, where he had an outstanding career. Ranking – 3 Star
Ryan Gersonde – P – 3 Star
Iowa is one of the schools that offers punters. They landed Gersonde, who is from Wisconsin, late in the process. He punted 13 times as a true freshman, averaging 42.5 yards per punt. But, then he never punted again. However, he played in 21 more games as a holder on field goals and PAT’s. Ranking – 3 Star
Geno Stone – DB – 3 Star
The great late find for Phil Parker in this class. Stone saw action as a true freshman and had five tackles, mainly on special teams. He did have one interception as a true freshman. He started eight games as a sophomore and then every game as a junior. Stone had 127 tackles, 6 interceptions, 13 passes broken up, and 4 forced fumbles. He was named second team All Big Ten as a junior before leaving for the NFL. Ranking – 4 Star
Daviyon Nixon – DL – 3 Star
This one was sort of a false alarm. Iowa signed Nixon, but he ended up enrolling at Iowa Western Community College for one year before returning to Iowa.
Ihmir Smith-Marsette – WR – 3 Star
The final player in this class turned out to be a very productive player. Smith-Marsette played as a true freshman and caught 18 passes for 187 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He had 110 receptions in his Iowa career for 1615 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also had 34 rushing attempts for 274 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also had 1520 yards on kickoff returns. He was named Big Ten Return Man of the Year in 2018. Ranking – 4 Star
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