Iowa football: High-profile transfer should be on Hawks radar

Former four-star safety Isaiah Pryor has announced his decision to transfer from Ohio State, and the Iowa football team should waste no time calling.

Ohio State Buckeyes safety Isaiah Pryor, son of former Iowa football player Richard Pryor, announced he was transferring out of Columbus after playing in four games this season, and all signs are pointing towards the reopening of his Hawkeye recruitment.

Coming out of high school, Pryor was rated a four-star prospect and a top-100 player by all recruiting syndicates. Despite being heavily recruited by the Iowa football team and receiving his very first collegiate offer from the Hawks, he ultimately chose to head to Ohio State to play for Urban Meyer.

Unfortunately, things haven’t quite gone as planned for the top prospect.

Despite receiving quite a bit of playing time in his first two seasons which includes 27 games played and 7 starts, he has all but fallen out of the rotation in Ryan Day’s first season as head coach, which likely prompted this decision just partway into the season. With the ability to redshirt still on the table (and almost certainly happening this season now), Pryor has two years of eligibility remaining.

And according to Tyler Devine of Allhawkeyes.com, it appears there is interest (at least from the Pyror’s) in exploring an opportunity at the University of Iowa.

Often, the Iowa football team stays out of the transfer market, preferring to recruit kids out of high school and develop them for 4 to 5 years, but lately, they have been making an exception bringing in three transfer wide receivers this year including Oliver Martin and a graduate transfer at punter (Michael Sleep-Dalton) and defensive line (Zach VanValkenberg).

They should, again, make an exception, open their arms, and welcome this Hawkeye legacy into the program.

Whenever you have the opportunity to add a talented guy who has played in big-time games like Pryor, you need to at least consider it. It also comes at a position that has been quite banged-up and been an area of concern heading into this season. If we’re being honest here, had Pryor been on the Iowa football team this season, he would likely be the starter in some capacity, possibly even at the cash position left by Amani Hooker.

Moreover, even if he wouldn’t be the starter, it’s quite evident now that this team could use all of the depth it can get in the secondary.

Considering the season is well underway, my guess is Pryor will try to take on as many classes as he can this semester (and possibly next) in order to graduate and be eligible for immediate playing time the following season. One thing to note is that he did enroll early at Ohio State so there’s a chance he could actually be closer than we think to being done with his studies.

This also means his recruitment will also likely stay open through the season as well. As we get more news about the recruitment of Pryor or any future visits, we will be sure to keep you up to speed.