The Nebraska Cornhuskers viewed Ott as a tight end and they had no room at the inn for him at that position. The Hawkeyes were more than happy to gain the signature and commitment of Ott, whom was Nebraska’s Gatorade Player of the Year in the state as well as just the 21st ever Nebraska high school player to earn that honor.

He has a great frame and excellent quickness for his considerable size and the challenge will be amongst the Iowa coaching staff as to where to play him. Given his athleticism, he might be a Christian Balard/ Jonathon Babineaux type in that he will be able to play both inside and out at the college level. Babineaux came to Iowa as a fullback and then played both end and tackle. Ballard committed as a tight end, but after the Scout.com camp organizers had him go through defensive line drills at their Iowa City camp, it was all over.

High school honors – - Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior . . . named to Parade All-America team, the 21st Nebraska high school player to earn the distinction . . . earned first team all-state honors for three straight years after earning honorable mention recognition as a freshman . . . four-time first team all-district selection . . . Career – - helped prep team post 41-6 record over four years . . . team was state runner-up in 2009 and reached state semifinals in 2008 and 2010, before falling in quarterfinals in 2011 . . . holds school records for single season (211) and career tackles (626) . . . recorded 122 tackles as a senior, with two interceptions and two recovered fumbles . . . 52 receptions as a senior for 960 yards and 18 touchdowns, along with two rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown . . . as a junior recorded 136 tackles and one interception, along with 31 receptions for 513 yards and eight touchdowns . . . school-record 211 tackles as a sophomore, with four interceptions and two fumble recoveries . . . 39 receptions for 480 yards and 10 touchdowns as a sophomore . . . as a freshman had 15 receptions for 126 yards and 157 tackles . . . team captain as a junior and senior . . . four-year football letterman while playing tight end, offensive line, quarterback, linebacker and defensive end . . . also earned four letters in basketball and track.
Personal – - Born 6/26/93 . . . criminal law/civil engineering major . . . named “Mr. Football” on Nebraska Academic All-State team . . . member of National Honor Society . . . parents are Sheree and Dan Ott . . . high school coach was Jeff Ashby.

First things first, the pronunciation: DOE-mahn-tis VINS-koos koo-CHAR-uh. Good luck, Gary and Ed. All that is missing is a ‘Maximus’ thrown in and you have a Gladiator. Definitely a nickname in the making. DVC?

It’s difficult to peg just where Venckus will play at Iowa. He has the frame to add 30 to 50 pounds. If he can add 40 or more pounds and keep the backside pursuit skills that show up on the film, it will be a battle to keep him at defensive end or move him inside.

He appears to have a bit of Karl Klug in him. Klug was an undersized lineman when he came to Iowa, but had a motor that never quit and excellent fast twitch reflexes. Venckus appears to be cut out of a similar mold and if he can learn to play with leverage at his 6-feet-5 frame, he’ll find a home along the line and be a solid contributor a few years down the road.

From his notes you will read below, he was named to the All Broward County team last year. That is quite an honor, as well as being 2nd team All State in Florida as a Defensive End.

STATUS: Signed LOI

High school honors - – Named second team all-state as defensive end and third team all-state as offensive lineman as a senior . . . named to all-Broward County team on defense as a senior, as selected by coaches . . . selected first team all-county by Miami Herald and Sun Sentinel . . . named to first team Under Armor All-Star team . . . Career – - earned four letters while playing tight end and defensive end . . . helped team advance to state playoffs as a junior and senior . . . team captain as a senior . . . set school record with eight fumble recoveries as a senior . . . recorded 105 tackles as a senior, with 16 sacks, six caused fumbles, eight recovered fumbles and one touchdown . . . also had 28 tackles for loss, 22 pressures and 10 pass break-ups . . . also lettered in wrestling and track.
Personal – - Born 3/23/94 in Klaipeda, Lithuania . . . open major . . . four-year member of President’s List . . . parents are Violeta and Matt Cucchiara . . . high school coach was Marc Guandolo.

Gair, whom Hawkeye fans came to know as Anthony Morgan during the recruiting process, is a big hitter and earned a three-star ranking from Scout.com. He was also a well sought after prospect, gaining offers from Arizona, Iowa State, Northwestern, Rice, Stanford, Vanderbilt and Virginia.

Given that list, it’s easy to say Gair is also an athlete who takes the ‘student’ portion of the relationship seriously. The Hawkeyes have loaded up in the defensive backfield in recent years and have been producing several great players who have gone on to the NFL. A redshirt may seem likely, but he arrives with a pretty big frame.

STATUS: Signed LOI

High school honors - – Earned all-district honors as a junior and senior . . . Newcomer of the Year as a sophomore . . . Career – - four-year letterman as defensive back . . . member of state championship team as a sophomore and junior . . . recorded 122 tackles, two sacks and one interception as a senior . . . 116 tackles, three sacks and an interception as a junior . . . recorded 185 tackles as a sophomore, including 102 solo stops . . . also three-year track letterman, competing in sprints and relays . . . state champion in 400 meter dash.
Personal – - Born 5/18/94 in New Orleans . . . business major . . . member of prep Honor Roll . . . graduated Cum Laude . . . earned Academic Achievement Award . . . parents are Raquel Gair and Rodney Morgan . . . high school coach was Chris Cunningham.

Simmons played high school ball for small class powerhouse Madrid, but he didn’t receive much attention from recruiters during his senior year. He chose to go the junior college route to market his skills on a bigger stage and that paid off after just one fall.

Simmons is a solid student and will have four years to play three at Iowa, giving him the option to redshirt this year as he acclimates himself to the Iowa system. You never want to play the comparison game, but this is a path similar to the one taken by former Hawkeye and current NFL guard Marshal Yanda. Simmons will play either center or guard for the Hawkeyes

STATUS: SIGNED LOI

Hawk-Item - – Enrolled in spring semester classes and will participate in spring practice.
Junior College – - Played one season at Iowa Western Community College . . . earned first team all-conference honors in his only season . . . earned academic all-region recognition . . . junior college coach was Scott Strohmeier.

High school honors - – Earned first team all-state honors for three straight years . . . was first team all-conference for three years after earning honorable mention recognition as a freshman . . . named to All-Toyota of Des Moines team as a senior . . . Career – - four-year letterman as offensive and defensive lineman and linebacker . . . helped prep team reach state semifinals for three straight seasons before advancing to title game as a senior . . . helped prep team compile 46-6 record over four seasons, establishing school record for four-year period . . . team captain as a senior . . . as a senior recorded 80 tackles, including seven tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries . . . also earned four letters in track and baseball and three in basketball . . . holds school (60-0) and conference records (58-11) in the shot put . . . won Drake Relays title in the shot put.

Personal – - Born 8/26/92 . . . civil engineering major . . . Presidential Scholar . . . parents are Cherri and Steve Simmons . . . high school coach was Randy Hinkel.

Scout.com rates Smith as a three-star prospect and Iowa had a need at the receiver position to establish depth in years to come. Kirk Ferentz has said in past years that the farther a younger player is away from the line of scrimmage, the better their chance of playing early.

Smith reports a sub 4.40 forty-yard dash time, but take such things with a grain of salt. However, I have watched his highlight videos and he shows some solid top end speed against the competition on the film which is always a difficult thing to judge. He wasn’t recruited by many BCS conference school, with offers from Connecticut and Temple on the table in addition to his offer from Iowa, according to Scout.com.

STATUS: SIGNED LOI

High school honors – - Named first team all-conference and all-New England as a senior . . . Career – - led team to undefeated regular season before losing in state championship game . . . team Most Valuable Player . . . recorded 16 receptions for 241 yards and five touchdowns in seven games as a senior . . . also had 79 yards on six kickoff returns, with one touchdown . . . rushed 58 times for 555 yards and six touchdowns and completed 17-of-42 pass attempts for 213 yards and two scores . . . recorded 19 tackles on defense, with two interceptions, five pass break-ups, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick.
Personal – - Born 1/30/93 . . . undecided major . . . liberal arts interest . . . parents are Maureen Smith and Denzel Forbes . . . high school coach was Todd Marble.

Johnson is another standout ‘get’ for Iowa in this class, as he is rated as a four-star prospect by all of the major recruiting services. He had scholarship offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Arizona, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, Illinois, Indiana and others.

Johnson had a late flirtation with Michigan State, but elected not to visit East Lansing after taking his official visit to Iowa City in late January.

For Iowa fans wondering if any of these recruits has a chance to come in and shore up the defensive line in 2012, you should hope the answer is no. It’s rare to see an 18 or 19 year old arrive on a college campus equipped to handle the physical side of the Big Ten, much less the mental nuances that help players gain leverage advantages in the trenches. Look for Johnson and Faith Ekakitie to redshirt as freshmen, which bodes well for the future.

High school honors – - Earned prep All-America recognition as a senior . . . first team all-state, all-conference and all-area as a senior in only season at Montini Catholic . . . first team all-area as a junior at St. Joseph’s High School . . . Career – - three-year starter as offensive and defensive lineman . . . helped prep team post 12-2 record as a senior while winning state championship . . . team captain as a senior . . . recorded 80 tackles as a senior, including five tackles for loss, three sacks and nine pressures . . . also earned two letters as a heavyweight wrestler.
Personal – - Born 7/12/94 in Brooklyn, N.Y. . . . sociology major . . . member of prep Honor Roll . . . parents are Tina and Ralph Johnson . . . high school coach was Chris Andriano.

STATUS: SIGNED LOI

Greg Garmon was one of the more highly sought after running backs in the 2012 recruiting class.  He receive four stars (on a five star scale) from each of the major recruiting services. Maxpreps.com tabbed him as the fifth best running back in his class.

His commitment to Iowa came hours after the program had released the news that Mika’il McCall would be leaving the program and a week before we all learned of Marcus Coker’s departure.  He is a mix of speed and power; he can lower his shoulder and get the tough yards in addition to turning a short gain into a long touchdown run with his 4.40 forty yard dash speed.  With offers from Miami, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Florida State, Tennessee and several other blue blood programs, Garmon is a legit, big time prospect who will get every opportunity for playing time in 2012.

Garmon has also overcome personal hardship, overcoming cancer as a child. Randy Petersen of the Des Moines Register wrote a great article on Garmon earlier this week that you can read here.

High school honors - – selected to compete in Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl following senior season . . . earned first team all-state honors as a senior after being named second team as a junior . . . first team all-conference as a junior and senior . . . Career – - three-year letterman in football, helping prep team post a 23-9 record . . . career totals include 2,859 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns . . . rushed for 1,050 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior . . . had 11 touchdowns and 1,225 rushing yards as a junior . . . rushed for 584 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore . . . also three-year letterman in track.
Personal – - Born 12/26/92 . . . open major . . . parents are Noelle and Mike Colpoys . . . high school coach was Mark Soboleski.

STATUS: SIGNED LOI

Ekakitie is one of the headliners in Iowa 2012 recruiting class, as he has garnered four-star ratings from each of the major recruiting services. He also played in a high school All American game and was a standout performer. He received scholarship offers from Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oregon, Wisconsin, Illinois, Penn State, Stanford and several other BCS conference schools

He is an excellent student and authored his own blog during the recruiting process. Read this entry where he comments on his commitment to Iowa and how he arrived at the process. His decision was not entirely based on football, as he appears to be a prospect who is just as interested in the education value of a scholarship. He played defensive end at the high school level and may well stay there for his Hawkeye career, but with his size and lateral quickness he may be a candidate to move inside in Iowa’s system.

NOTE: This capsule does not reflect whether or not Iowa has received the prospect’s faxed letter of intent. Iowa will hold a press conference at the end of the day to talk about their class. They will also be posting updates with regards to the letters of intent they have received at their website, www.gohawks.com

Sokol was born in Des Moines and lived his very early years in Iowa before his family moved to the Valley of the Sun.  He attended Iowa football camps growing up, including the summer heading into his senior year of high school.  An injury that year dropped him from the high major recruiting radar, so he enrolled at the junior college level.

In his two years at Scottsdale, he threw 65 touchdown passes and nearly 6,000 yards passing as a pro-style quarterback.  He produced eye-popping numbers this past fall: 3,807 yards,  43 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, completing 253 of 424 pass attempts.   He is a pro-style quarterback, not someone another team will fear with his legs but able to get himself out of a jam.  He has enrolled in Iowa for the spring semester and the plan is to redshirt in 2012, giving him two years of eligibility and in position to battle Jake Rudock for the starting job in the spring of 2013.

Sokol and Rudock, along with 2012 class member CJ Beathard will be Iowa’s only scholarship quarterbacks one year from now…at least as of right now.

Here are links to Mabin’s profiles:  SCOUT | RIVALS

Check out Mabin’s highlight video at the top of the page. Mabin is Iowa’s 11th known verbal commitment.