posted on Saturday, May 03, 2008 9:09 PM
by
marc.morehouse
West Des Moines Valley OL picks Hawkeyes
David Barrent is right.
Iowa's O-line will be old in 2009, with five potential starters in that senior class (Rafael Eubanks, Dan Doering, Andy Kuempel, Travis Meade and Kyle Calloway). He didn't say "old," but you get the point. The opportunity to play early will be there for offensive linemen in the 2009 recruiting class.
That was one of the reasons Barrent, a West Des Moines Valley all-stater, picked Iowa.
Iowa has as many as six offers out to O-linemen for 2009. It's an obvious recruiting need. So is wide receiver. Iowa might be able to boost receiver with instate prospects Keenan Davis (Cedar Rapids Washington) and Mt. Pleasant's Jordan Cotton.
I don't know what I like better, Barrent's height and weight or his GPA and ACT. Either way, it makes for a great get.
It's just a start, though, as you guys all know.
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If everything goes as planned, you'll know David Barrent because of his ability to tear things down. As a University of Iowa offensive lineman, that'll be his job.
But one of the big reasons Barrent committed to play for the Hawkeyes on Saturday is a future of building things up. The West Des Moines Valley junior wants to major in engineering and someday be a mechanical engineer.
"I'm good at math and I love science," said Barrent, who carries a 3.77 GPA and recently scored a 30 on the ACT, "so engineering seems like a good fit."
Barrent called Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz on Friday and told him that Iowa was the winner over Illinois, Michigan State, Northwestern, Iowa State and Nebraska. Illinois offered first back in February and finished second for Barrent with Michigan State in third.
The Barrent family made all their visits this spring, including a handful to Iowa City, and David felt Iowa was the best fit.
"It was the best mix of what I wanted for academics and for football," Barrent said. "I see everything I needed to see and decided to make the choice now."
Barrent, a 6-foot-8, 290-pound tackle, said the opportunity to play early is there for him. He played left offensive tackle last season for Valley, which went 11-1 and made it to the Class 4A state semifinals.
Iowa will have five seniors in the preliminary two-deep for the 2009 season.
"You look at the depth chart and the numbers, there's a chance to play early," Barrent said. "Hopefully, with a year under (Iowa strength and conditioning coach) Chris Doyle, it can happen."
Rivals.com gives Barrent four stars on a scale of five. Rivals also ranked him among the top 250 players in the nation.
Barrent is the second commitment for the Hawkeyes' 2009 recruiting class. He joins Toledo, Ohio, running back Brad Rogers who committed earlier this week.
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