A.J. Derby: Iowa Hawkeye Recruit Profile

Posted October 30, 2009 by iowah0_admin under under Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa Hawkeye recruit A.J. Derby is a large man, especially for a quarterback, standing at 6-foot-4-inches and weighing in at 218 pounds.

Take a glance and it might be thought the Iowa City High School prep belongs in the tight end position or as a monster linebacker on defense.

Derby’s position of choice, however, is quarterback and it could work for the Hawkeyes. He ranks in at 17th nationally at the quarterback position.

Iowa is lucky to have picked up Derby, who received a score of 80 from ESPN. That grade projects Derby as a three-to-four year starter at a major division one program.

Many schools showed keen interest in Derby including Florida, LSU, Oklahoma and plenty more. Iowa was lucky enough to pick up a verbal commitment. The Hawks should be excited.

Derby is an athlete. Many scouts have speculated that he should play linebacker or tight end. Rivals.com recruiting analyst Barry Every said he believes Derby could become an All-American tight end if he chooses to switch positions.

Derby has made it very clear, for the time being, that he wants to remain a quarterback but he’s a little tough to evaluate.

His throwing accuracy is questionable but his power is impeccable.

Derby has the speed, strength and agility to compete anywhere he wants to on the field but his size and overall athleticism make him a Blue Chip prospect according to Rivals.com.

If Iowa allows Derby to remain in his current QB position, which I believe they should (he isn’t 17th in the nation for no reason), he could definitely be an extremely dangerous dual-threat leader.

Brad Banks, anyone?

I don’t want to set the bar too high, nor do I want to be the only judge of Derby’s talents.

Decide for yourself.

Take a look at Derby. He’s in red for those who may not be familiar with Iowa prep football teams.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXsyNLBR1Gs

Tags: a.j. derby, hawkeyes, iowa, profile, recruit, video