Iowa football: Pair of 2020 OL recruits moved up to 4-star ranking

The Iowa football team’s 2020 recruiting class got a nice bump with a couple of recruits recently being moved up to a four-star ranking.

The Iowa football team has always been extremely proactive on the recruiting trail, often getting many of their recruits to commit well before the early National Signing Day period. They got a bit of decent news as 2020 offensive line commit Tyler Elsbury and 2020 target Connor McLaughlin were both bumped up to a four-star rating after participating in The Opening Regionals.

The Opening Regionals is an event held in various locations convenient for recruits to attend with the goal of educating them on how to become better athletes. These recruits are put through various physical and educational drills and can often come away not only benefiting from learning new tools but also increasing their recruit ranking.

Tyler Elsbury is an offensive guard from Byron, Illinois who also had offers in hand from Illinois, Northern Illinois, and Purdue. Elsbury committed to the Iowa football team back on March 3rd of this year and already has terrific size for a kid his age. The 6′-5″ 292-pound guard is ranked as the sixth-best recruit in the state of Illinois and 15th best offensive guard in the country for this recruiting class.

Elsbury has spent the majority of his high school career playing the left guard position. Scouts really like how developed he already is, and when you watch his film you can instantly notice how much bigger he is than the rest of the offensive lineman.

"Big prospect all the way through. Already well-developed in the upper and lower body and has the frame to play any position along the offensive line. Good athlete who has tested well. Excellent run blocker in high school who drives his feet and finishes blocks. Already has good strength. Able to bend and get leverage against smaller players. There was some concern about level of high school competition, but that was alleviated at camps. Can still improve lateral agility and general quickness, especially if he is going to project more towards tackle. Should be a Power 5 starter and has the makings of being an All-Conference type player at either guard or tackle. – via 247sports"

Connor McLaughlin is a 2020 recruiting target and the Iowa football team is considered to be in his top three choices of schools. He has over a dozen offers in hand from the likes of UCF, Virginia, Vanderbilt, Miami (FL), Northwestern, Nebraska, Boston College, and obviously Iowa.

McLaughlin is slightly smaller than Elsbury at 6′-7″ but weighing just 260 pounds. He is ranked as the 37th best prospect in the state of Florida and the 25th best offensive tackle in the country. Both he and Elsbury could end up playing right next to each on the offensive line as McLaughlin has lined up at the left tackle position through his high school career.

He visited Iowa in mid-April and came away impressed with everything he saw.

"“I loved Iowa. The facilities were great and the practice was smooth, but my favorite part was the tradition. The coaches there sounded locked in and didn’t have any plans to leave. Coach Polasek told me that my length is good for the new stretch and zone style offense. He sees me fitting in the Iowa developmental program when I grow into my body. I really like Iowa after this visit, and it’s very high on my list now.” – via HawkeyeNation"

McLaughlin says he plans to make a commitment sometime in July.

It appears the rankings haven’t updated yet in 247Sports database, but as it stands today, the Iowa football team’s 2020 recruiting class is ranked 15th in the country, down from the 9th overall ranking they held earlier this year.