Iowa lands 2025 commitment from in-state lineman, brother of incoming fullback

Iowa is on the board for the 2025 recruiting class. The Hawkeyes’ first commitment for 2025 comes from an in-state prospect with family ties to the program.

Joey VanWetzinga, a lineman from Bettendorf, announced his pledge to play for Kirk Ferentz’s program on Saturday.

100% Committed, GO HAWKS🖤💛 pic.twitter.com/lz1GvdiZxq

— Joey VanWetzinga (@JVanwetzinga) July 1, 2023

Iowa extended its scholarship offer to VanWetzinga on June 20. It’s the first and only Power 5 scholarship offer so far for the Pleasant Valley standout. VanWetzinga does not yet have a star rating from 247Sports, On3 or Rivals.

Rusty VanWetzinga IV, Joey’s older brother, is joining the Hawkeyes in 2023 as a walk-on fullback. Rusty shared excitement for his past and future teammate on Twitter.

Family Ties🤞🏻🐤 https://t.co/mG1hhKTT50

— Rusty VanWetzinga IV (@rusty_j_van) July 1, 2023

Joey VanWetzinga played offensive and defensive line in 2022. Tom Lemming of CBS Sports saw B1G potential from VanWetzinga this past fall.

Still another 2025 prospect from the state of Iowa with big time skills is Joey VanWetzinga 6’2″ 250 OC/DT Bettendorf Pleasant Valley HS. The son of the Schools HC is a powerhouse who dominates the point of attack.@JVanwetzinga no doubt shows big 10 ability. 3.6 GPA. 385 bench. pic.twitter.com/fZAKpxG0mV

— Tom Lemming (@LemmingReport) September 26, 2022

Hawkeyes fans can check out his sophomore season highlights below, via Hudl:

Andrew Olson

A former Florida beat reporter, Andrew writes for the Saturday Tradition News Desk.