Recruiting Take 5: Iowa's all-state picks sorting through options

The notification took Sam Cook by surprise last month when the elite all-state running back from Fort Dodge checked his Twitter account.

Of all the major college programs to break the recruiting ice, Cook didn’t expect Ohio State would be first in line to contact him. But Tony Alford, the running backs coach for the Buckeyes, sent the senior a direct message on Twitter in early-December and promised he’d be calling the next night.

“I was definitely excited,” Cook said. “I do know I was excited to take the call.”

The call from the Buckeyes added another layer to what’s been an unusual recruiting process for one of the most productive backs in state history. Cook finished his career fourth on the Class 4A rushing chart with 4,882 yards, but he discovered statistics were easier to accumulate than scholarship offers.

The Buckeyes offered him a preferential walk-on invitation. Iowa and Iowa State have since followed suit.

Cook’s first choice is football, but his best opportunities might be in wrestling. He’s a state champion who has a full-ride offer on the table from Oklahoma. He said the Sooners have also offered him a walk-on opportunity with the football program.

He’s one of several elite all-state seniors still trying to cement college plans. Two of the 3A title game combatants remain undecided.

Meet the Register�s 2015 all-state football selections

Pella quarterback/defensive back Noah Clayberg said last week that he’s considering a walk-on opportunity at Iowa, along with FCS opportunities at Northern Iowa, South Dakota, South Dakota State and Western Illinois.

Norwalk defensive end Sonny Onken said his list includes Northern Iowa, Illinois State and South Dakota.

IOWA RECRUIT CANCELS INDIANA VISIT

Toks Akinribade turned down Indiana in June when he committed to Iowa and it appears he’s taking the Hawkeyes over his home state Hoosiers once again.

The speedy three-star running back from Brownsburg, Ind., cancelled a visit he had scheduled later this month with the Hoosiers, according to multiple reports.

Akinribade ran for 1,424 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior. He originally picked the Hawkeyes over Michigan, Indiana, Purdue and others.

CYCLONES ZERO IN ON FOUR-STAR LINEMAN

Hours after Sean Foster posted a Twitter message last month announcing he was parting ways with Minnesota, the four-star offensive lineman went back to social media to reveal another news item: A scholarship offer from Iowa State.

The Cyclones have worked their way into the running for the 6-8, 285-pound offensive tackle prospect from Mundelein, Ill. Foster is scheduled to visit Iowa State next weekend.

SHIP SAILS

Florida defensive back K.J. Sails committed to Iowa in November and said he was still considering the Hawkeyes when he reneged on his pledge two weeks later. But it appears that was the beginning of the end for the relationship between Iowa and the Rivals.com three-star cornerback.

Sails announced this week that he’s still considering five schools: Cincinnati, Maryland, Rutgers, South Florida and West Virginia.

HARBAUGH FOLLOWS THROUGH ON RECRUITING SLEEPOVER

Jim Harbaugh has been known to go to extreme lengths in his pursuit for recruits. Camping in a prospect’s room, though, is taking it to a new level, even for Harbaugh.

When the clock struck midnight on Friday, Harbaugh reportedly showed up at the Rockford, Mich., home of Quinn Nordin. The Michigan coach planned to spend the whole day with the nation’s top-ranked kicker, who committed last summer to Penn State.

“He told me if I had a 6-foot-3 inch piece of carpet for him to sleep on that would be enough. I said, ‘We have guest rooms,’ and he said, ‘Tell you what, I’ll just sleep on the floor in your room,’” Nordin told Scout.com. “I said, ‘Coach, I have Penn State stuff all over my walls.’ He said, ‘Tell you what, I can help you take it down.’”

Nordin told the Detroit News that if his parents signed off on him missing school, he and Harbaugh would spend most of the day in Ann Arbor. If not?

“Coach Harbaugh will be in every single class with me, sitting right next to me and I’ll be doing my schoolwork,’” Nordin said.