Iowa Football: Hawkeyes Garner Commitment From Illinois RB

Kirk Ferentz and the Iowa Football program continue to climb the ladder in the recruiting rankings for 2017 as they garnered a commitment from 2017 running back, Ivory Kelly-Martin.

As we approach summer time, the class of 2017 is starting to take shape for Kirk Ferentz. On Monday, he got a commitment from Kelly-Martin, making him the first running back to commit in the class of 2017. We’ve heard so much about Eno Benjamin that Kelly-Martin kind of flew under the radar.

He’s a three star back, according to Scout, and the top ranked running back in Illinois in the class of 2017. At 5’11” and 175 pounds, he’s fairly undersized right now for a running back, but he ran a 4.57 forty yard dash, so he’s pretty quick.

The Oswego, IL product was excited about the offer from Iowa that came about a month ago and has this to say about the Hawkeyes and the offer itself.

"“It was great. I loved sitting down and talking with Coach Ferentz. It couldn’t have been a better feeling to know that a coach with the prestige of Coach Ferentz, who has invested 17 years into making the Hawkeyes into a national powerhouse, believes that my character and athletic ability would be a great addition to the program. But as with any offer, it’s a proud moment.” – Kelly-Martin, Scout"

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It seems as though the experience and stability that Ferentz and the Iowa program have are attracting a lot of players. You get to play for a coach that has had success at one university for a long period of time.

Kelly-Martin chose Iowa over schools such as; Wisconsin, Syracuse, Illinois, and others according to Scout.

He carried the ball 190 times in his junior season for 2,036 yards, while also finding the end zone 36 times. At first glance, Kelly-Martin is fast. He seems like a very instinctive back and really knows how to set up his blockers so he can get the space he needs. He displays good vision on film and I love the way he switches to that outside arm when carrying the ball.

He’s pretty quick laterally too and you can’t exactly bring him down through arm tackles. He may not weigh very much, but he runs with a purpose and breaks through arm tackles like it’s nothing. To go along with all of these attributes, he’s a very patient runner. He lets the play set up in front of him before deciding what to do.

One thing that he may need to get better at is pass protection and catching the ball out of the backfield. He isn’t seen doing either of those things in his highlight film.

I believe Iowa has a couple open slots for running backs in the class of 2017 and Kelly-Martin fills one. Ferentz and the staff undoubtedly want the other one to go to Wylie, TX native Eno Benjamin, who will make his decision on April 18th.

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Even if Iowa does not land Benjamin (they are the favorites right now) they’ll be getting a good back in Kelly-Martin. Once he puts on some pounds, he’ll be a factor for the Hawkeyes.