Class of 2020 defensive lineman Michael Lois is just beginning his junior year of high school, but has already found his college home. That is in Iowa City, which is where the 6-foot-4, 260-pound Wisconsin native was today, so he could commit in person to the Hawkeye coaching staff after their season opener.
“Iowa definitely has my heart,” Lois told HawkeyeReport.com. “They have great people. Not only the coaches, but just everyone on campus and all around town. That’s what made me really want to go there.”
Growing up in Elkhorn, Lois has some family ties to the University of Wisconsin, but it was the Hawkeyes, not Badgers, that started recruiting him first and showed the most interest throughout the process.
“I’ve had a lot of family go to Wisconsin, but when I visited there I just didn’t get the same feeling that I did at Iowa,” said Lois. “At Iowa, everyone knew my name and who my parents were and were just so nice to us. Even before the offer, just being at Iowa was such a great experience.”
The Hawkeyes did, of course, end up offering this past spring, while Wisconsin did not. Still, Lois says do not expect anything to change if more offers come his way after his junior season, which is already off to a strong start with seven tackles, four tackles for loss, and a sack in his first game.
“I’ve pretty much told my coach if any other schools come in I’m not really interested,” Lois said. “Iowa has my heart. I’ll always be loyal to Iowa.”
Starting with lead recruiter Tim Polasek, the Hawkeyes made an early impression on Lois first with their coaches and then also with the other prospects in their recruiting class.
“What I really liked about the whole recruiting process with Iowa is they make it like a whole team thing,” said Lois. “I’ve talked to the other Iowa commits like Ezra Miller, Jake Karchinski, and Deuce Hogan a lot.”
During his previous trips to Iowa, including the Hawkeye Tailgater in July, Lois has had a chance to meet several of Iowa’s other top targets in the Class of 2020, including Ben Barten, Logan Wilson, Aaron Witt, and Tyler Elsbury. Now, his recruiting attention will turn to them.
“We’ve all made a really good bond,” Lois said. “When we were up there for the cookout, we all sat together and got a chance to talk and everything.”
Meanwhile, Lois is excited to have his own college decision out of the way. Whether he ends up playing inside or outside on the defensive line at Iowa, the three-star prospect feels he has found the perfect fit.
“I play the whole defensive line at my high school, so it’s wherever they want me,” said Lois. “I’m just going to work hard and try to get out on the field as soon as I can once I get there. The coaches didn’t try to sugarcoat anything. They just said if you put in the work, good things are going to happen.”
