James Daniels commits to Iowa: Hawkeyes get No. 11 center in 2015 class
The Iowa Hawkeyes have built success under Kirk Ferentz by building strong offensive and defensive lines. On Thursday that tradition got a little stronger as one of the best centers in the country, James Daniels, announced his verbal commitment to Ferentz and the Hawkeyes.
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The Columbus Post Dispatch shared the news.
Daniels, a 6-foot-2, 282-pound center is a major get for the Hawkeyes in the 2015 class. Not only is he the No. 11-ranked center by the 247Sports composite rankings, he’s also a top 25 player in the state of Ohio.
That’s the big deal there, getting a top-level player out of the state and away from the grasp of Urban Meyer and the Ohio State Buckeyes. Daniels’ decision was made between the two Big Ten schools, and it was a tough one for the family.
His father played at Ohio State, and his brother LeShun is currently a sophomore running back with the Hawkeyes. Clearly he chose his brother over the legacy at Ohio State.
It wasn’t just the two Big Ten teams going after Daniels’ commitment, either. Other offers for Daniels included Alabama, Auburn, Kentucky, Miami, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Penn State, UCLA and Wisconsin.
With Daniels in the fold, the Hawkeyes are now the No. 41-ranked class in the 247Sports team rankings, while also holding the No. 9-ranked class in the Big Ten. Iowa has 14 verbal commitments in the class, with 13 of them being of the 3-star variety and one being a 2-star commitment.