Iowa Football Recruiting: Class of 2020 Commitments Week 8 Performance Recap

Each week of the high school football season, we break down the performance of each of Iowa’s commits in the recruiting class of 2020. As a reminder, you can keep up to date on all things recruiting by visiting the Iowa Football Recruiting Hub.

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The Hawkeyes got things back on track this week despite some more frustrations for the Iowa offense. In the recruiting class of 2020, a number of recruits also got things going in week 8, including some tremendous stuff on the offensive side of the ball.

Here’s our weekly look at how they performed.

Deuce Hogan, QB

Hometown: Grapevine, TX (Faith Christian)
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 205
Stars: 247 Sports - 3 Rivals - 4

Quarterback Deuce Hogan didn’t need to do much this week as Faith Christian defeated Prince of Peace Christian 43-8. Hogan finished 6 of 14 passing for 165 yards and a TD in the win, which moves Faith Christian to 6-1 on the year.

Through 7 games this season, Hogan is 106 of 168 passing (63.1%) for 1,571 yards with 19 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. Faith Christian will take on Fort Worth Southwest Christian this week.

Gavin Williams, RB

Hometown: West Des Moines, IA (Dowling)
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 195
Stars: 247 Sports - 3 Rivals - 3

Running back Gavin Williams had another game this week as he racked up 95 yards and 2 TDs on just 8 carries (11.9 ypc). The effort came in a 47-12 win for Dowling over Des Moines Hoover. That moves Dowling to 7-1 on the year.

In five games of action this season, Williams now has 580 yards and 7 TDs on 65 carries for a 8.9 yard per carry average. Dowling will take on Sioux City North this week.

Leshon Williams, RB

Hometown: Oak Lawn, IL (Richards)
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 205
Stars: 247 Sports - 3 Rivals - 3

Fellow running back commit Leshon Williams missed his fifth straight game with an ankle injury this week. Richards still picked up a 28-13 win over Shepard to move to 7-1 on the year. This season, Williams has 432 yards and 4 TDs on 67 carries (6.5 ypc). Richards will take on Eisenhower this week.

Quavon Matthews, WR

Hometown: Largo, FL (Largo)
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 170
Stars: 247 Sports - 3 Rivals - 3

No stats yet for wide receiver commit Quavon Matthews as Largo had their game last Friday postponed to Monday night. Largo did come away with a 35-0 win over Osceola to move to 6-2 on the year.

Coming into this week, Matthews had 359 yards and 2 TDs on 14 catches for a 25.6 ypc average. Largo will take on Lakewood this week.

Diante Vines, WR

Hometown: Watertown, CT (The Taft School)
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 190
Stars: 247 Sports - 3 Rivals - 3

Fellow wide receiver commit Diante Vines returned from a concussion with a monster performance. He racked up 149 yards on 7 catches (21.3 ypc) and 1 TD as well as a rushing TD and a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough as Taft fell to Avon Old Farms 40-28.

The loss drops Taft to 3-3 on the year. Vines now has 35 catches for 437 yards (12.5 ypc) and 4 receiving touchdowns on the season. Taft will take on Kent this week.

Elijah Yelverton, TE

Hometown: Cedar Hill, TX (Trinity Christian)
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 235
Stars: 247 Sports - 3 Rivals - 3

Tight end Elijah Yelverton also had a big game as he hauled in 9 catches for 105 yards and 2 scores as Trinity Christian defeated McKinney Christian 51-0 this week. The win moves Trinity Christian to 6-1 on the year. On the season, Yelverton now has 341 yards and 4 TDs on 34 catches (10.0 ypc). Trinity Christian will play Dallas Christian this week.

Luke Lachey, TE

Hometown: Grandview Heights, OH (Grandview Heights)
Height: 6’7”
Weight: 220
Stars: 247 Sports - 4 Rivals - 3

Fellow tight end commit Luke Lachey had a solid week as he finished with 58 yards and a TD on 3 catches (19.3 ypc). Grandview Heights took down Buckeye Valley 14-3 this week to move to 6-2 on the year.

Lachey now has 30 catches for 384 yards (12.8 ypc) and 1 touchdowns on the season. Grandview Heights will take on Bishop Ready this week.

Brenden Deasfernandes, DB

Hometown: Belleville, MI (Belleville)
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 161
Stars: 247 Sports - 2 Rivals - 2

Cornerback commit Brenden Deasfernandes had 2 tackles and 2 passes broken up last week as Belleville defeated Franklin 39-29 to move to 8-0 on the year. Deasfernandes now has 15 tackles and 4 passes breakup on the season. Belleville will take on Plymouth this week.

Reginald Bracy, DB

Hometown: Mobile, AL (St. Paul’s)
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 190
Stars: 247 Sports - 3 Rivals - 3

Safety Reginald Bracy had an interception to go with 5 tackles as St. Paul’s took down Rain 35-8. The win moves St. Paul’s to 6-2 on the season. Bracy now has 53 tackles, 4 TFL, 3 sacks, 3 PBUs and an interception on the year. St. Paul’s will take on Daphne this week.

Keylen Gulley, DB

Hometown: Largo, FL (Largo)
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 167
Stars: 247 Sports - 3 Rivals - 3

As with teammate Quavon Matthews, no stats yet for defensive back Keylen Gulley as Largo’s win over Osceola came last night. On the year, Gulley had 25 tackles and 5 PBUs on the season coming into the game. Largo (6-2) will take on Lakewood this week.

AJ Lawson, DB

Hometown: Decatur, IL (MacArthur)
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 180
Stars: 247 Sports - 3 Rivals - 3

Defensive back AJ Lawson had another monster game this week. He finished with 124 yards and three touchdowns on 5 catches (24.8 ypc) as MacArthur destroyed Eisenhower 54-0. The win moves MacArthur to move to 5-3 on the season.

Lawson now has 29 catches for 519 yards (17.9 ypc) and 7 TDs on offense. MacArthur will take on Sacred Heart-Griffin this week.

Jay Higgins, LB

Hometown: Indianapolis, IN (Brebeuf Jesuit Prep)
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 209
Stars: 247 Sports - 3 Rivals - 3

Linebacker commit Jay Higgins continued his incredible senior season this week. He finished with 15 tackles, 3 TFL and a sack on offense, as well as 112 yards receiving on 5 catches on the offensive side of the ball. Brebeuf Jesuit beat North Vigo 28-14 to move to 7-2 on the season.

Through9 regular season games, Higgins now has 135 tackles, 7.5 TFL, 5 PBUs and a sack. Brebeuf Jesuit will play Bishop Chatard in the first round of the playoffs this week.

Ethan Hurkett, LB

Hometown: Cedar Rapids, IA (Xavier)
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 230
Stars: 247 Sports - 3 Rivals - 3

Ethan Hurkett had a great game for Cedar Rapids Xavier this week, finishing with 7 tackles, 3 TFL, a sack and an interception. Xavier defeated Center Point-Urbana 28-0 to move to 7-1 on the year.

Hurkett now has 56 tackles, 9 TFL, a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery through 8 games this year. Xavier will play Marion this week.

Yahya Black, DE

Hometown: Marshall, MN (Marshall)
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 250
Stars: 247 Sports - 3 Rivals - 3

Defensive end commit Yahya Black had another solid game on Friday, finishing with 7 tackles, including 2 TFL and a sack as Marshall defeated Jordan 42-0 on Friday. The win moves Marshall to 8-0 on the year. Black now has 53 tackles, 11.5 TFL and 4 sacks. Marshall kicks off the first round of the state playoffs this week with their opponent yet to be determined.

Lukas Van Ness, DE

Hometown: Barrington, IL (Barrington)
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 240
Stars: 247 Sports - 3 Rivals - 3

Defensive end Lukas Van Ness finished with 8 tackles, including 4 TFL and a crazy 3 sacks on Friday. Barrington beat Hoffman Estates 28-0 to move to 5-3 on the year. Through 8 games, Van Ness now has 39 tackles, 19 TFL and 6 sacks. Barrington will take on Schaumburg this week.

Deontae Craig, DE

Hometown: Culver, IN (Culver Academies)
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 235
Stars: 247 Sports - 3 Rivals - 3

No stats for fellow defensive end Deontae Craig but Culver Academies took down Breman 49-7 this week. The win moves Culver to 5-4 on the year. Coming into the game Craig had 45 tackles, 16 TFL and 6 sacks for Culver Academies. They’ll take on South Bend Clay this week in the first round of the playoffs.

Logan Jones, DE

Hometown: Council Bluffs, IA (Lewis Central)
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 252
Stars: 247 Sports - 4 Rivals - 3

Defensive lineman Logan Jones recorded a sack in a tight 21-14 win for Lewis Central over Glenwood this week. That moves them to 7-1 on the year. Jones has 16 tackles, 6 TFL and 4 sacks on the season. Lewis Central will take on ADM this week.

Isaiah Bruce, DE

Hometown: Lena, IL (Lena-Winslow)
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 265
Stars: 247 Sports - 3 Rivals - 3

As we’ve seen all year, no stats for defensive line commit Isaiah Bruce. Lena-Winslow continued their dominance with a 46-7 win over Galena this week. That moves them to 8-0 on the year. They’ll take on Durand-Pecatonica this week.

Tyler Elsbury, OL

Hometown: Byron, IL (Byron)
Height: 6’6”
Weight: 298
Stars: 247 Sports - 3 Rivals - 3

Offensive lineman Tyler Elsbury and Byron beat Genoa-Kingston 42-13 this week. The win moves them to 7-1 on the year. They’ll take on Dixon this week.

Josh Volk, OL

Hometown: Cedar Rapids, IA (Xavier)
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 305
Stars: 247 Sports - 3 Rivals - 3

As mentioned Cedar Rapids Xavier and OL Josh Volk got back on track with a 28-0 win over Center Point-Urbana this week to move to 7-1 on the season. They’ll take on Marion this week.

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And that’s it for week eight of the high school football season. We’ll be back next week to check in on all the performances.