Kendrick Raphael, a 4-star running back out of Naples, Florida, announced his commitment to play in the Big Ten this week.

Raphael shared on social media that he would commit to play at Iowa.

Raphael, who is listed at 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, chose Iowa over the likes of NC State and BYU among a reported 21 offers. He is rated the No. 22 running back in the class of 2023 and the No. 64 player in the state of Florida, according to the 247Sports Composite. Raphael is the 11th commit in Iowa’s 2023 class and is the first running back commit for the Hawkeyes in this class. Last season, he rushed for 1,374 yards and 18 touchdowns. Raphael is the 11th, and highest rated, of the Iowa commits in this class.

Iowa running backs coach Ladell Betts was the key recruiter for Raphael.

“Iowa is always on the map,” Raphael previously told Hawkeye Insider. “It’s a program that has had the same coaches for years and reminds me of my school. The coaches there have either played there or coached there a while. It’s a great culture like my high school. Coach Betts said that Iowa has people that have been there for a while and I wouldn’t have to worry about coaches moving like we’ve seen recently in college football.”

“I like their offense. They run the ball a lot and have two running backs they like to use. It’s a one-back offense, but I like how it’s designed, and it’s built around the running back.”

Here are his highlights from Hudl: