Kozan says Iowa right at top

Alex Kozan said he had an outstanding visit to Iowa last weekend but the Castle Rock (Colo.) Valor Christian four-star offensive tackle still wants to take a couple other visits just to make sure he's not missing out on anything.

Still, the Hawkeyes thoroughly impressed him during his trip as he recounted the visit in vivid detail.

"It was a great visit," Kozan said. "I was there before but I got to go there with my mother and see the place again. I started off Friday night at the team hotel and ate dinner, I got to see coach (Reese) Morgan and coach (Kirk) Ferentz and then I spent the night in Iowa City.

"The next day I ate breakfast at the stadium and then watched the game, they played Louisiana-Monroe and it was a great game. The offensive line did awesome. That was great to see.

"Then I ate lunch at halftime and visited the locker room. After the game I got to meet with the strength coach and got to sit down with coach Morgan and we talked a lot of football which was good for me and I really saw how he coaches. He showed me one of his workout training tapes for the offensive line and I got to see what he preaches which is all fundamentals."

Saturday night, Kozan got to spend some time with his host, freshman offensive lineman Austin Blythe, and the two talked about playing for the Hawkeyes and the recruiting process in general. It was a good chat for Kozan, a 6-foot-4, 295-pound prospect who's rated No. 28 at offensive tackle and No. 244 in the 2012 class by Rivals.com.

"That night I went out for dinner with my host, Austin Blythe, who was being recruited last year so it was good to talk to him and see what his experience has been like and just saw what the process was like for him during his freshman year," Kozan said.

"On Sunday I had breakfast with the coaches and I got to talk with coach Ferentz and I talked to him for an hour and I learned more about him and his program and see where I fit in. Overall, it was a great visit and I had a lot of fun. I got to see everything I wanted to see, it was a great visit, and I couldn't ask for anything more."

Since the Hawkeyes impressed him so much, Kozan said they're "right at the top" in his recruitment but trips to Oregon and LSU are expected to happen before he makes his decision.

"I'm going to be comparing other schools to Iowa," Kozan said. "Iowa is a good fit for me but at the same time you want to make the best decision so I'm going to be taking other visits.

"The Iowa coaches weren't putting any pressure on me. They said I'm one of the top guys on their board overall and they'll take me. They understand I want to take other visits and they said it was smart that I'm doing my research so everything is good with them. Iowa is a great place and I'm lucky to have the opportunity to go there."

Kozan is expected to visit Oregon for its matchup against Arizona State on Oct. 15 but that date has not been firmed up yet. His trip to LSU is planned for the following weekend when the Tigers host Auburn.