I had a chance to catch up with Decorah (Iowa) senior-to-be Brett Van Sloten, the latest instate prospect to land a scholarship offer from the Iowa coaching staff. Van Sloten, a 6-foot-7, 255-pounder who plays tight end and defensive tackle, was offered a scholarship Wednesday night, two days after West Des Moines Valley offensive tackle David Barrent de-committed in favor of Michigan State.

On paper, Van Sloten is no Barrent, the 6-8, 295-pounder who is rated a 4-star prospect, the No. 7 tackle in the nation and the top senior in the state by Rivals.com. Van Sloten has no star rating, and Iowa is his one and only offer to date, but he is an athletic big man with good feet who one day will carry 300-plus pounds with ease. He’s an all-state basketball player, too, who last season had a 40-point, 29-rebound outburst on the hardwood.

I’m inclined to predict Van Sloten is going to be a good one, because he has the body and the athleticism and the mindset — he is bound and determined to make it as a Division I offensive lineman. He says, with certainty, that he wants to play left tackle.

With as much certainty, he says he won’t make his college decision until after his high school season wraps up this fall.

“I’m going to play my senior year of football and then make my choice after that,” Van Sloten said. “From what I hear, I guess (other schools) are going to watch the first couple games my senior year and make a decision (whether or not to offer a scholarship) based on that.”

This summer, Van Sloten camped at Iowa, Iowa State, UNI and Kansas. He said he is receiving considerable interest from Iowa State, as well he should. His father, Greg Van Sloten, played linebacker and center for the Cyclones from 1980 to ’85.

Van Sloten’s courtship with the Hawkeyes started last year, when he began receiving letters in the mail and continued on into camp this summer in Iowa City. There, he impressed the coaching staff.  

“They told me they were going to do one of three things at camp,” Van Sloten said. “They were going to say either, ‘Hey, we don’t like what we see, and we don’t think you can play Division I football,’ ‘We want to see your senior season,’ or ‘We’re going to offer you.’

“After that camp, they were between offering me then or watching my senior year, and they were debating back and forth.”

As recently as last week, Van Sloten said, offensive line coach Reese Morgan had given Van Sloten the impression Iowa was going to wait until a few weeks into the high school season to offer. Then, Barrent, who had committed in early May, changed his mind, opening a spot for another prospect from the state.

So, Iowa sits out front — for now. There figures to be competition as the high school season unfolds, especially from the cross-state Cyclones, who earlier this week grabbed West Des Moines Valley tight end Conor Boffeli out from under an Iowa scholarship offer.

And there will be that whole legacy thing — which worked in Iowa’s favor with Jordan Cotton and Drew Clark — to combat.

“I actually grew up a fan of Iowa State, having my dad play there,” Van Sloten said. “It’s changed over time, though. I just enjoy watching college football. There is no one in particular team that I like more than the other.

“Getting recruited from all these schools, you don’t totally have to (become neutral as a fan), but you have to be willing to accept the other schools that are recruiting you. If for some reason you had a grudge against a school, you have to say, ‘Hey, they’re recruiting me, I have to open my mind to them.’ ”

Van Sloten will be in Iowa City on Aug. 16 for the Hawkeyes’ open practice at Kinnick Stadium.

Other quotes of interest from Van Sloten:

On what fans should know about how he plays the game …

“I just love to play the game. It doesn’t matter at what position it is. I just enjoy playing every moment I get a chance to play.”

On his opinion of the Iowa program …

“I like the program. Coach Morgan, I’ve gotten to know him pretty good, and he would be the coach who would instruct me through drills. I like the guy. He seems like he knows what he’s doing. And Coach Ferentz sounds like a great guy, too.”

On whether or not the off-field issues at Iowa will affect his decision …

“Most colleges have those so-called bad things that go on. Iowa’s have just been more public and are making the news more.”

A big get

Drew Clark might not be as highly regarded as Barrent, but getting a verbal commitment from the Marion offensive lineman on Friday was crucial for the Iowa coaching staff and its recruiting efforts in the state.

This week, which started off on such a down note when Barrent de-committed and Boffeli picked Iowa State, ended on an upswing of momentum in the recruiting department, having Mount Pleasant receiver Jordan Cotton and Clark commit within days of each other.

With Cedar Rapids Washington receiver Keenan Davis and Sioux City Heelan running back Brandon Wegher set to make their decisions in the next month, momentum is important. You can bet those guys are paying attention to what’s going on, and the more players from Iowa who commit to the U of I, the more Davis and Wegher, who have offers from coast to coast, will be inclined to stay home.

Today was the first time I’d talked to Clark, and I came away impressed. For starters, he returned a phone call right away, which, to me, is always impressive for a 17-year-old kid. But the way he talked about himself and the game, he seemed humble and driven, two qualities that make for good, developmental offensive lineman in college football. Don’t get too worked up about the 2-star rating as compared to Barrent’s rating of 4-stars. As I’ve said before, the stars mean very little, especially at a program like Iowa.

Top ‘Dogs?

The USA Today/Coaches’ Top 25 came out today, and Georgia was ranked No. 1 for the first time in school history.

The AP Top 25 doesn’t come out until Aug. 16, but ballots were due Friday. Georgia was in my top 5, but the ’Dogs were not No. 1. They’ll be very good and definitely will contend, but I’m still not sold on them as the best team in college football, partly because they’ll have a freshman place-kicker, which could end up costing them a game or two in the brutally tough SEC.

Click here for the complete USA Today/Coaches’ Poll.

What I’m reading

- The Sporting News’ Spencer Hall gives props to ESPN’s college football coverage. Can’t say I disagree with Hall. The World Wide Leader does a tremendous job Saturday to Saturday throughout the fall.

- Your tax dollars at work. Elected officials in Ohio are spending taxpayers’ money on Buckeyes season tickets. How would you feel about that? 

- The Sporting News again. This time, Matt Hayes has a list of five potential replacements for Joe Paterno. Three years ago, on the heels of a 31-7 three-year run that included two Big Ten titles, Kirk Ferentz would have been at the top of this list. Now, he’s nowhere near it, especially in light of Penn State’s legal woes recently highlighted on ESPN’s Outside the Lines. The Nittany Lions make the Hawkeyes look like a Boy Scout troop. 

And, really, I’m not reading a whole lot more than that, because, technically, I’m still on paternity leave until Monday, when I’ll head to Iowa City for the Hawkeyes annual media day, where I’ll be gathering material for stories through the month of August.

I’ve got calls out to a few other prospects in the class of 2009. Any in particular you’d like to hear from?

And, for Monday, what questions do you, the fans, have regarding your team as we approach the 2008 season?

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