Yes, it’s early. Like, really early.

Before the 2019 class officially signs on the dotted line, another 19 months will pass by. In the recruiting world, that’s an eternity. Recruiting is a marathon, not a sprint.

But Iowa is sitting pretty in the first leg of the 2019 race.

That much is true after the Hawkeyes landed not one, but two commitments from four-star 2019 recruits over the weekend. Four-star tight end Logan Lee and four-star offensive tackle Tyler Endres both gave their verbal pledges to the Hawkeyes on Saturday.

Andres is the No. 18 offensive tackle and the No. 161 player overall while Lee is the No. 10 tight end and the No. 217 player overall in the 2019 class.

Throw in an April pledge from four-star offensive tackle Ezra Miller and Iowa now has three blue-chip recruits committed in its 2019 class. That means Iowa has commitments from its top two in-state recruits already. That’s also just months removed from Iowa essentially overhauling its offensive staff.

How big of a head start is it for the Hawkeyes?

Consider this:

  • Iowa’s three commitments four-star 2019 recruits are more than the rest of the B1G combined
  • The Hawkeyes’ 2019 class ranks first in the B1G and seventh nationally
  • Iowa doesn’t have a four-star recruit committed in its 2018 class yet
  • Iowa hasn’t signed three four-star pledges in one class since 2013
  • In the last six recruiting classes combined (including 2018), Iowa signed three 4/5-star recruits

So yeah, Iowa’s fast start is pretty rare. Verbal commitments are obviously different than signed recruits, though. And as Hawkeye fans were reminded in 2016, that can be a big difference.

Kirk Ferentz’s “no non-Iowa official visits” rule lost the Hawkeyes four-star commitments from tailback Eno Benjamin and cornerback Chevin Calloway, both of whom were early 2017 pledges.

But five-star defensive end A.J. Epenesa committed to Iowa more than a year away from signing day and he stuck with the Hawkeyes. Epenesa, of course, was a different kind of recruit.

It’ll be interesting to see if recruits like Endres and Lee stay true to Ferentz’s rule and remain committed. Lee gave his pledge to the Hawkeyes after unofficially visiting the likes of Wisconsin, Missouri, Notre Dame, Illinois, and Michigan. Well, and Iowa.

Only time will tell if the Hawkeyes can continue to capitalize on some important early visitors. For now, though, Iowa is off to an ideal start.