Allegations Against Iowa Football Program Could Hurt Recruiting

Barta said he could understand if there were concerns from players and their families in the wake of allegations of racial disparities within the program.

Iowa and strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle reached a separation agreement on Monday following allegations of racial inequality and mistreatment.

Even with Doyle out, the accusations still surround the program. And that, athletics director Gary Barta said, could affect recruiting.

Barta said he would understand the concerns of recruits and their families.

"My guess is, a lot of them are either convinced, or are going to wait and see," Barta said during Monday's press conference. "Certainly any time your program goes through a negative situation or a challenging situation, it can potentially impact recruiting. It’s not No. 1 on my list of concerns right now. So, more importantly, let’s get it handled, start putting a plan in place moving forward, then recruiting will take care of itself."

As of now, no players have decommitted from the current 2020 or 2021 recruiting classes since allegations surrounding Doyle and others surfaced.

In fact, incoming freshman quarterback Deuce Hogan assured Hawkeye fans that the 2020 class is one of the strongest in the nation.

"We’re better than okay," Hogan tweeted on June 7. "We are the tightest 2020 recruiting class in this country and we intend to keep it that way. We will be better for this."

So, for the time being, it appears nothing is changing in the 2020 class. There's still plenty of time for movement in the 2021 group (after all, it's still early), but things have held tight for the most part since allegations rose.

But on Monday, 2020 cornerback Keylen Gulley announced on Twitter he would be decommitting from the Hawkeyes. Gulley had verbally committed to Iowa, but did not sign a letter of intent during the December and February signing period.

HawkeyeReport's Blair Sanderson reported that Gulley's head coach, Marcus Paschal was surprised by his announcement. Academics held Gulley back, per Sanderson.

According to HawkFanatic's Tyler Devine, Gulley "plans to attend Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, but remained committed to Iowa until his announcement Monday."

Gulley is a 6-foot, 170-pound cornerback from Largo, Florida. 247 Sports rates him as a three-star prospect and ranks him as the 155th-best corner in the nation and the 215th-best recruit in the state.

Gulley had verbally committed to Iowa back on June 18, 2019.

"First of all I thank God for all the doors he has opened up for me and for blessing me with the talent to play the game I'm in love with playing," he tweeted. "After much time to think & prayer... it is in my best interest to de-commit from the University of Iowa. I am not doing any interviews. Gods plan."

Aside from Iowa, Gulley had a Division I football offer from Southern Miss, according to 247 Sports.

Follow Adam Hensley on Twitter @A_Hens83.