Iowa football: Latest 2020 offer could be diamond in the rough

The Iowa football team has struck gold lately from Indianapolis. They hope linebacker Jay Higgins can become the next diamond in the rough.

The Iowa football squad has tapped into the Indianapolis pipeline for much of their talent lately. Tyrone Tracy, Jr., D.J. Johnson, Julius Brents, and Justin Britt are all freshmen or sophomores the Hawkeyes have plucked from the Hoosier state. The team recently made an offer to two-star linebacker Jay Higgins, who will take an official visit on June 21.

The 6’2” 215-pound recruit will be a senior at Brebeuf Jesuit High School in the fall and took unofficial visits with Wisconsin, Purdue, and Iowa in fall 2018. He holds a dozen offers from mostly MAC schools but 247Sports’s crystal ball prediction has him headed to the Hawkeyes as part of an already strong 2020 recruiting class.

He is ranked as the 32nd best prospect in the state of Indiana and there’s a lot to like about this kid. His film jumps off the page. Higgins exhibits a nose for the ball, excellent sideline-to-sideline speed, and he hits guys hard. Perhaps the thing I like most about him is his ability to drop back into coverage.

Higgins has primarily played middle linebacker and was pegged as one of the top-10 small school players to watch around the Indianapolis area prior to the 2018 season. He finished his junior year with 145 tackles and 4 forced fumbles while leading his team to the state finals.

The pro player comparison that instantly comes to mind when I watch his film is Roquan Smith. It sounds crazy, believe me. Smith was a 4-star linebacker recruit and showed much quicker closing speed, but there are certain similarities that align with Higgins.

Adding to what I’ve already said, he’s a solid tackler in open space, shows the ability to shed blockers easily, and is a human highlight reel. It’s pretty amazing that Higgins has just a 2-star rating attached to him. I would expect that he gets bumped to 3 stars during his senior season.

If he commits to the Hawkeyes, it could be one of the 2020 recruiting steals which Kirk Ferentz and his coaching staff are so good at finding.