Rumors are spreading through the Hawkeye Nation forum that three-star, DE recruit Matt Hoch may or may not be decommitting  from Missouri and recommitting to the Iowa Hawkeyes.

I hate to say it, especially about an Iowa native, but we don’t need him regardless of whether or not he decides to return.

That isn’t to say, however, that the Hawkeyes wouldn’t happily welcome him back—they’d be foolish not to. Hoch has the potential to develop into a decent lineman.

I simply find a player turning his back on a program and committing to another rather distasteful—maybe not as much as when the Hawkeyes are on the receiving end on a new commitment but it still puts a slight dent in character that will need to be repaired.

For Hoch, playing for Missouri makes perfect sense, as his brother plays on the offensive line for the Tigers. He could also have a better chance at playing sooner in Columbia.

The Hawkeyes, with the return of Adrian Clayborn, are going to be ferocious in the trenches on defense this season and Hoch probably wouldn’t play any roll at all if he chose to return.

So, why should he return is what I want to know. I wish him the best of luck and really do want him to do well for the Tigers. I don’t know if he will play much in his first year for Missouri either but it would still be best for him to stay put.

Again, if you’d like to get in on the discussion, visit Hawkeye Nation or post a comment here.

We’ve got some good news and bad news this morning for Iowa Hawkeyes recruiting coming from the Iowa City Press-Citizen

Let’s start with the good, shall we?

The Hawkeyes stole Michigan prep receiver Kevonte Martin-Manley from the grasp of Bowling Green over the weekend.

Martin-Manley is a big dude—6-foot-1 and 190 lbs—who will add some size to the Hawkeyes’ receiving corps.

Martin-Manley decided to switch to Iowa after the Hawkeyes put on a strong showing during the season. According to the Press-Citizen, he admitted he didn’t know much about the Hawks prior to this year.

Central Michigan and Illinois also had interest in Martin-Manley.

Now for the bad news…well, it isn’t horrible.

However, the Hawkeyes lost Harlan H.S. prep defensive end Matt Hoch to the Missouri Tigers.

Hoch will be playing with his brother who starts on the Mizzou o-line.

Good luck, Matt. Make Iowa proud and all that. Oh, wait….

Iowa won’t need him anyway because ADRIAN CLAYBORN IS STAYING!

Hopefully Bryan Bulaga and Amari Spievey make the same decision—the right one.

Iowa City Press-Citizen– Future Hawkeyes A.J. Derby, James Morris and Matt Hoch were named captains of there respective all-state teams by the Iowa Newspaper Association.

Derby–whose position for the Hawkeyes is still to be determined–was named the 4A All-State Team Captain after leading Iowa City High School to the Class 4A State Championship with over 1,800 passing yards and 23 touchdown passes.

Morris helped the Solon Spartans win their third consecutive state title as a running back, linebacker and, in the season’s latter stages because of injury, quarterback. Morris was punishing as a running back and will help the Hawkeyes revamp a linebacking corps that loses seniors Pat Angerer and A.J. Edds.

Hoch was named Class 3A’s Team Captain. Hoch stands at a domineering 6′-4” with a matching 245-pound frame. Hoch helped Harlan to a state championship and will line up for Iowa as a defensive end.

Even if your hometown high school football team didn’t make it to the Iowa high school state championships (mine went winless), if you’re a fan of Iowa Hawkeye football there will be plenty to watch as the state’s best teams battle it out on the gridiron.

Matt Hoch (Harlan Community), James Morris (Solon H.S.) and A.J. Derby (Iowa City High), all future Hawkeyes, will be competing for a senior year state championship at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls.

Class 4A – Iowa City, City High vs Marshalltown – Friday 7:05 p.m.

A.J. Derby, perhaps Iowa’s most interesting commit, will show off his versatility–he plays pretty much everywhere on the field–against Marshalltown for the Class 4A championship.

Derby says he wants to play QB. Scouts are saying he might fit better in the linebacker, safety or tight end positions–like I said, versatile.

Derby could be the most fun to watch of the three recruits.

Check your local TV listings to catch the live action.

Class 2A – Boyden Hull/Rock Valley vs. Solon – Saturday 1:05 p.m.

Morris of the Solon Spartans will put his hard-hitting on display as the Spartans attempt to cap off an undefeated season with the Iowa Class 2A State Championship.

Oh yeah, Morris is also the team’s dominant running back. He’ll likely be seen running up and down the field on both sides of the ball.

Class 3A – Harlan vs Pella – Saturday  4:05 p.m.

DE Matt Hoch will play in his last game as a Harlan Cyclone–he’ll learn to loathe that mascot.

Harlan comes into the game undefeated and will try to stop a 10-3 Pella team that has fought hard and shown a lot of heart to get to this point.

Hoch is ranked by Rivals.com as the 24th best strongside defensive end in the nation.

Check your local TV listings to catch the live action.