When a major program loses a key recruit, Rivals.com takes a look at how big of a blow it is to the respective school, analyzing it from a local and national level. To quantify the “sting” of each decommitment, we assign a score from one to 10, with one being no big deal and 10 being a catastrophic hit.
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THE STORYLINE
David Caulker committed to Iowa in June basically on the spot.
The three-star defensive end from Des Moines (Iowa) North worked out at the Hawkeyes’ summer camp with a focus on getting an offer from them, he landed it after an impressive performance and by the time he left campus, Caulker made his pledge.
But Iowa State never stopped recruiting him.
Especially over the last few months, Caulker has been hearing from the Cyclones and in the last few weeks, the Des Moines North standout has been communicating often with the coaches in Ames.
In recent days, the flip from Iowa to Iowa State happened as Caulker said he felt “Iowa State has been calling me ever since they offered.”
A productive defensive linemen who has had multiple seasons with double-digit tackles for loss, Caulker is the second decommit in Iowa’s 2023 recruiting class along with four-star RB Kendrick Raphael.
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LOCAL REACTION
Being an in-state prospect, it's always a recruiting battle you want to win and hold on to, but if it was going to happen anywhere, defensive line is one of the deepest positions on the team for the Hawkeyes. Overall, the decommitment drops Iowa one spot from No. 21 to No. 22 in the team rankings. - Blair Sanderson, HawkeyeReport.com
Sting factor: 4
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NATIONAL REACTION
Loading up across the line of scrimmage is always important and especially crucial for the Hawkeyes who want to exert their power and dominance up front on both sides of the ball. In that sense, the Hawkeyes could never have too many players committed especially ones as productive as Caulker, who is also an in-state prospect and that’s always important. But the Hawkeyes especially loaded up with high-end defensive linemen in the 2022 class and Iowa should easily be able to weather the storm from his de-commitment. - Adam Gorney, National Recruiting Director
Sting factor: 5
