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Iowa assistant coach Abdul Hodge returned to his hometown Tuesday looking for future Hawkeyes. The trip included a stop at Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons High School. 

There he offered a scholarship to junior safety Casey Etienne Jr.. 

"I had a great conversation, and he taught me some things already," Etienne Jr. "He informed me. I appreciate receiving a Hawkeye offer because it’s a great Power Five school in a tough Big Ten conference. They play in one of the best conferences in college football, and they play well at that."

Etienne Jr. (6-3, 180) also reports scholarships Penn State, Iowa State, Kentucky, Syracuse and Vanderbilt. Florida State, where he visited in September, and others are showing him interest. 

"I don’t really know too much about Iowa. I know they are a tough team, for sure, and their defense gets after it," he said.

This fall, Etienne Jr. was credited with an interception, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, 53 total tackles and a blocked kick. You can see his highlights HERE. He's also a high-end basketball player. 

Cardinal Gibbons is one of the state's top programs. Its senior running back, Kamari Moulton, is verbally committed to the Hawkeyes. 

"I haven’t talked with Kamari too much yet, but I definitely will. I’m really close with Kamari so I’m sure I’ll talk to him and he can tell me a few things, for sure," Etienne Jr. said.

Iowa City sits almost 1,500 miles away from Fort Lauderdale. That's OK with him. 

"I’m comfortable with going away for school. I’ve lived in Florida my whole life, so I want to go out and see and live in new states," he said.

Etienne Jr. is considering an Iowa visit. He estimates that likely would happen in the summer.  

"I think I will. It’s kind of early right now to say, but I think I will," he said. 

He plans on majoring in Broadcasting when he gets to college. He reports a 4.4 GPA