Kirk Ferentz is pushing for a rising in-state prospect to add to a growing 2027 class

It feels like just yesterday the Hawkeyes won the ReliaQuest Bowl, knocking off Vanderbilt to end the season.

The 2025 season has come and gone, and Iowa is now fully preparing for the 2026 season and beyond as spring practices are underway.

At the same time as Iowa ramps up spring practices, they have been hitting home runs on the recruiting trail.

Two 2027 prospects have committed since the start of practices on March 27, including two-way prospect Jake Theis and offensive lineman prospect Reilly Newman.

After earning two committments from talented prospects, the program isn't stopping there.

Iowa offered 2027 in-state prospect Jerrence Knoblock

Under Kirk Ferentz, the Iowa program has been extremely proficient at taking underrecruited local prospects and turning them into All-Conference players, and that is exactly what they are trying to do with Inwood, Iowa native, Jerrence Knoblock.

Knoblock recently visited the program during a spring practice and left Iowa City with another college offer.

He is currently an unranked prospect in the 2027 recruiting class, but that should change before his senior season next year.

Knoblock stands at six-foot-six, weighing 220 pounds, and has the size and build of a traditional Iowa defensive tackle.

Defensive line coach Kelvin Bell loves recruiting big, lengthy tackles to plug up the run and disrupt the offense's timing, and Knoblock has the potential to do that.

After receiving an offer from the Hawkeye program, Knoblock now has five total offers, including from Iowa State, South Dakota, South Dakota State, and North Dakota State.

If Knoblock can continue to develop, the Hawkeyes might have found another diamond in the rough to add to their history of developing similar players if he commits to the program.