Iowa landed the top in-state talent on Tuesday night, picking up a commitment from Julian Manson.
Manson, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound linebacker from Iowa City West High School, announced his pledge to the Hawkeyes on Tuesday night. The class of 2026 talent chose Iowa over offers from schools such as Kansas State, Arizona, Miami, and Minnesota.
Manson also held offers from Kent State, Miami (Ohio), New Mexico and North Dakota State and drew interest from Illinois, Iowa State, Missouri, Nebraska, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State, USC and Wisconsin.
On3 rates Manson as a four-star commit, as the 80th-ranked player nationally, as the No. 6 linebacker and as the No. 1 player from Iowa. ESPN also ranks Manson as a four-star commit, as the No. 22 linebacker and as the No. 2 player in Iowa.
Both 247Sports and Rivals rank Manson as a three-star prospect. According to 247Sports, Manson is the No. 4 player in Iowa. Rivals also regards Manson as the No. 4 player in the state of Iowa and as the No. 35 linebacker nationally.
Manson notched 86.5 tackles last season for West High and reeled in 52 catches for 867 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Manson is the son of former Hawkeyes quarterback and current Iowa Director of Player Development, Jason Manson.
Manson joins recent commit Kasen Thomas as linebackers in Iowa’s 2026 recruiting class. The Hawkeyes also hold commitments from offensive linemen Carson Nielsen, Hudson Parliament, Owen Linder, Gene Riordan and Colin Whitters, wide receivers Brody Schaffer and Diondre Smith, defensive lineman Sawyer Jezierski, and defensive backs Marcello Vitti and Ronnie Hill.
Here’s a look at Manson’s junior season highlights:
This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football adds No. 1 in-state talent to 2026 recruiting class
Reporting by Josh Helmer, Hawkeyes Wire / Hawkeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
