4-star linebacker Gavin Stecker details commitment to Iowa football

IOWA CITY — The first domino to fall in Iowa football’s 2027 high school recruiting class came from within state lines. Coming off a season where he led Bettendorf in total tackles with 77, Gavin Stecker became the first player 2027 high school player to announce his commitment to the Hawkeyes on Dec. 9.

As of May 20, that group has now climbed to 10 commitments, but Stecker, a four-star linebacker, remains the highest-rated player in Iowa’s class, according to the 247Sports Composite. Stecker picked Iowa over offers from Iowa State , Kansas, Kansas State and Minnesota. He grew up a Hawkeye fan.

His father was teammates with Pat Angerer on the Bettendorf football team. Angerer, a former Hawkeye player, is currently the color analyst for Iowa football. As he went through the recruiting process, Stecker tried to separate his Hawkeye fandom from what was actually best for the future of his football career.

“I think it was looking not just at the name of the school and not the logo,” Stecker said. “It was more looking at, what are they actually about? What are they showing me?