Inside The Hawkeyes

Iowa Joins Battle For Class of 2027 DB

The Iowa Hawkeyes extended an offer to this Class of 2027 defensive back.
Jordon Lawrenz|
10. (tie) Phil Parker, Iowa defensive coordinator, $1,900,000
10. (tie) Phil Parker, Iowa defensive coordinator, $1,900,000 | Joseph Cress / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Iowa Hawkeyes

Standing 6'1'' 185-pounds, the Iowa Hawkeyes have extended an offer to Class of 2027 defensive back John Gay III.

Gay is primarily a safety which is a key position the Hawkeyes know they need reinforcements. After losing a ton of top senior talent, they're going to do whatever it takes to bring in fresh recruits in 2027.

The transfer portal certainly worked in their favor, but recruiting is just important.

Chaminade-Madonna High School in Hollywood, Florida, is the home of Gay where he'll have one final season to make an impression on not just the Hawkeyes, but quite a few other teams who have expressed interest.

Iowa Extends Offer to John Gay III

Gay took to social media on March 9 to reveal the Hawkeyes had extended an offer. While he didn't tag any coaches or thank anyone in particular, he said he was "blessed" to receive the offer, one that came just days after an SEC school threw their name in the hat.

Ole Miss threw an offer Gay's way at the end of February. They were interested on February 26, the same day an article came out about Gay's interest from Notre Dame and how a potential fit could look with the Fighting Irish. Gay received an offer from Notre Dame on February 18.

Other offers he holds includes: Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, Florida International, Minnesota, Syracuse, UConn, Virginia Tech, Western Michigan, Auburn, Texas A&M, among many others. Keep in mind, these are just some of the offers he's received since January 23.

Tight Race for Class of 2027 Defensive Back

Iowa DB Zach Lutme
Apr 26, 2025; Iowa City, IA, USA; Iowa defensive back Zach Lutmer (6) defends during a spring NCAA football open practice at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Cress/For the Register | Joseph Cress/For the Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One of Iowa's players to watch in 2026 is safety Zach Lutmer, someone who will be forced to step up even further after he already delivered a solid 2025 campaign to what he did throughout the rest of his career.

Iowa has a dynamic duo with Lutmer and Deshaun Lee, but it'll be interesting to see if those two have what it takes to compete against teams like Michigan and Ohio State.

Gay being unranked on 247Sports is interesting, though there's no doubt he's at least a three-star recruit with the way teams have been looking at him. He's becoming more and more popular for a reason, it's just a matter of if Iowa joined the party too late. If not, they need to do everything in their power to bring him to Iowa City for 2027 and beyond.

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Jordon Lawrenz
JORDON LAWRENZ

Jordon Lawrenz serves as the Eastern United States College Recruiting beat writer On SI. Jordon is an accomplished writer covering the NFL, MLB, and college football/basketball. He has contributed to PFSN’s and Heavy’s NFL coverage. Having graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay with a Sports Communication and Journalism degree, Jordon fully embraced the sports writing lifestyle upon his relocation to Florida.

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