Over the years, Kirk Ferentz has put a lot of emphasis on acquiring the top in-state players for his Iowa Hawkeyes football team. That is never more evident than this coming season.
With the impending release of EA Sports College Football 26, the video game has also provided fans with a look at the overall ratings of players from within the game. For the Hawkeyes five of their Top 6 overall are former Iowa high school standouts.
Leading the way is Aaron Graves, a monster at defensive tackle. Graves was given a 91 overall rating, which is tied with Gennings Dunker for the top spot on Iowa.
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Joining Graves is Logan Jones, Xavier Nwankpa and Ethan Hurkett. Jones and Nwankpa are both 90s while Hurkett is an 88. Max Llewellyn makes the Top 10 at No. 10 with an 82.
Graves, who will be a senior in the fall, led Southeast Valley to its first state championship in program history. He also was a standout basketball player, wrestler and member of the track and field team for the Jaguars, earning Adidas All-American, Elite All-State and Gatorade Player of the Year honors as a senior.
Jones, a graduate student and starter along the offensive line, played for traditional power Lewis Central out of Council Bluffs. He was tabbed as the top lineman in the state as a senior, earning multiple all-state honors while also lettering in track and basketball.
Nwankpa, a senior who starred at Southeast Polk, came to Iowa as one of the top defensive backs in the country. The 6-foot-2 Nwankpa was the MaxPreps Iowa Player of the Year as a senior shined on both sides of the ball for the Rams.
Hurkett is another graduate student hailing from Cedar Rapids. The defensive lineman was a star at Xavier where he earned defensive player of the year honors and was a two-time first team all-state selection while also lettering in track and field.
Llewellyn, a senior from Urbandale, is a member of the defensive line for the Hawkeyes. As a senior for the J-Hawks, he had 5.5 sacks and caught 13 passes for almost 300 yards.
