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Iowa secures key prospect out of Nebraska over Huskers, Minnesota
By Paul Harvey
Published:
Iowa is celebrating the 4th of July with its own brand of light show, dipping into Nebraska for one of the top players from the state.
On Friday, the Hawkeyes secured the commitment of Darion Jones, a defensive back out of Omaha’s Omaha North High School. Jones is rated as the No. 2 player out of Nebraska per the 247 Sports Composite, and he was down to Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, Kansas State and Iowa State before landing on Kirk Ferentz and the Hawkeyes.
It’s a nice win and a pickup for Iowa over some Big Ten rivals, but it will be a tough pill to swallow for Matt Rhule and his program:
Jones is a 3-star recruit per the composite, and he’s also the 44th cornerback in the country. As a junior, Jones compiled 47 tackles, 8 interceptions, 5 pass breakups and a sack.
The addition of Jones brings Iowa up to 14 hard commitments for the cycle, and the 3-star CB is the 7th defensive player in a balanced group for the Hawkeyes. So far, that class ranks 42nd nationally per the team composite rankings.
Overall, losing Jones is another blow for Nebraska, with the Huskers struggling to keep the top in-state players for the 2026 recruiting class. The top 10 players in the state are all committed to out-of-state schools, including a key group heading to Iowa State.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.