Iowa continues to impress Cornell

The Iowa Hawkeyes were the first school to offer Rivals100 2015 defensive end Jashon Cornell. On Saturday the St. Paul (Minn.) Cretin-Derham Hall prospect made his fifth recruiting visit of the process to Iowa City.

Cornell and his class of 2016 running back teammate Brison White made the drive to Iowa to attend the Hawkeye's junior day and the four-star defensive end continues to respond to the vibe on campus.

"It feels like home. It's just like Minnesota without the city life," Cornell said. "The people there treat you like you are an NFL player already because they don't have an NFL team.

"The thing new about this time was I got to see what kind of linemen they recruit and what other defensive ends they offered. They recruit 8-man football players and they don't care where you are from, they recruit you because you can play."

While on the visit, Cornell spent time talking with assistant coach Eric Johnson and finding out how the Hawkeyes would utilize him in their defense.

"They see me as a five-technique down d-lineman," Cornell said. "I feel that fits what I like to do well."

Over the summer, Cornell listed Iowa as one of the schools sticking out to him early on, and he continues to consider them highly among his offers.

"[This visit] continues the positive vibe," he said. "I have a lot of loyalty to them."

Saturday's trip was actually Cornell's second of the weekend to a Big Ten program. He spent time Friday night at the University of Minnesota basketball game.

"At the basketball game I got to talk to some of the players I knew from before being on the campus, then I have some old schoolmates up there," he said. "I sat with Connor Rhoda and some other players. Coach Phelps was gone, so I was really just I didn't really get a chance to hang out with him. I was really just going up there for a game, just to check out the basketball game.

"They are telling me I can be that hometown hero, be that true freshman that plays and I can make a difference."

The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Cornell is not for sure of his next visit, but expects to be on the road again in February. He plans to continue his travels through the spring and hit more schools that have offered him scholarships.

"UCLA was my last [offer] two or three weeks ago," Cornell reported. "I believe I am going back out to Cali this spring, probably."