Iowa Football Recruiting: Who is Hawkeyes’ new 3-star QB commit, Ryan Fitzgerald?

By Kerry E Porter

Modified May 21, 2024 01:05 GMT

Things always get interesting when a recruit is the son of a football head coach. It gets more interesting when the recruit is the son of the former HC at Northwestern University, Pat Fitzgerald. Yes, the University of Iowa was out soaring over neighboring Illinois, looking to get their prized quarterback, Ryan Fitzgerald, who committed last Friday.

As previously mentioned, Ryan Fitzgerald is Pat Fitzgerald's middle son.

Fitzgerald won the starting job as the starting quarterback this past season to lead his Loyola Academy Ramblers to the IHSA Class 8A State Championship over Lincoln Way East.

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound quarterback is a 3-Star and top 50 Quarterback recruit in the Class of 2025. He had 14 offers from other schools like Wake Forrest, Wisconsin, Akron, North Dakota, Temple, Eastern Michigan, Toledo and Northwestern.

According to Hawkeye Nation, Iowa already has four quarterbacks on scholarship and will look to fill those spots with Cade McNamara preparing for the draft after the 2024-25 season is complete.

With a preferred walk-on option on the table, Fitzgerald will be considering the options as he will have a guaranteed spot on the team. However, athletic financial aid will not be provided.

He will be eligible to compete and play in games as he progresses throughout the season once on campus and will be among the first in line to be considered for a full scholarship once athletic funds are open.

How does Ryan Fitzgerald fit in Hawkeyes' offense?

To answer that question, look at Fitzgerald's production in 2023. He won the starting job to start the season and continued to put up big numbers over a 14-game season (which included the state playoffs and championship). He finished the season with 136 completions on 214 passing attempts for 2.056 yards passing and 20 touchdowns.

That's not just all of it. In a spread offense, Fitzgerald rushed 634 yards when toting the rock for 107 carries. He even scored on the ground 14 times this past season.

Iowa also has a commitment from Jimmy Sullivan out of Carroll High School (Fort Wayne, Indiana). Sullivan is the 59th-ranked quarterback in the Class of 2025, according to 247Sports, and has made his intentions clear that the Hawkeyes have his full commitment to play there in 2025. The quarterback room is tight, with two new faces on their way to campus.