FL RB Jaziun Patterson Commits to Iowa

Ladell Betts was searching for a running back in the 2022 recruiting class. Iowa's new coach at the position visited a familiar area to snag one.

Deerfield Beach (FL) High ball carrier Jaziun Patterson announced Tuesday night that he'd be a Hawkeye. Betts coached high school in the Sunshine State before returning to his alma mater this offseason.

BREAKING: Deerfield Beach three-star running back Jaziun Patterson commits to Iowa. @j4thegreat1 pic.twitter.com/STB2hd0T39
— Adam Lichtenstein (@ABLichtenstein) August 18, 2021

Rivals ranks Patterson (5-11, 190) as a four-star prospect. The recruiting service pegs him as the No. 17 running back nationally in '22, the 32nd best player overall in Florida for the cycle and No. 226 in the country regardless of position.

HawkeyeNation.com spoke with Patterson shortly before he visited Iowa on July 25. He talked about his connection with Betts.

"Coach Betts is a very cool dude. He's humble and genuine. I look forward to building a better relationship with him," Patterson said at the time.

After the Hawkeyes offered Patterson a scholarship last month, he added them to his list of Top 10 schools along with Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Indiana, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Penn State, South Carolina and Texas A&M. He also visited the Seminoles in July.

Huge get for @HawkeyeFootball. Iowa gets a commitment from one of the best running backs out of South Florida.

Jaziun @j4thegreat1 Patterson chooses Iowa over Florida State and now can focus on winning a state championship for @DB_BucksFB. pic.twitter.com/LreCFT9nE2
— Marcus Benjamin (@BenjaminRivals) August 18, 2021

Patterson became Iowa's ninth known verbal commitment in the '22 Class. He joins Aaron Graves (DL), Caden Crawford (DL), Jack Dotzler, (OL) Jayden Montgomery (LB), Kale Krogh (OL), Carson May (QB), Jacob Bostick (WR) and Addison Ostrenga (TE).

Here's a look at Patterson's junior highlights:

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