IOWA RECRUITING
Once a mid-major basketball prospect, in-state LB Karson Sharar flips from UNI to Iowa
Matthew Bain
Iowa football has landed its first 2021 recruit since June.
Karson Sharar, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound athlete out of Iowa Falls-Alden, announced he had received and accepted an offer from Iowa on Friday. He flipped from Northern Iowa, where he had been committed since Nov. 19.
"It checks all the boxes for me," Sharar told the Register. "Great coaches, great tradition, great facilities, great school and pretty close to home."
Sharar's development has been intriguing. He started off as a mid-major basketball prospect, landing an offer from then-Drake head coach Nico Medved when he was coaching the Bulldogs way back in July 2018. He also received hoops recruiting interest from UNI.
Darian DeVries' Drake staff, however, didn't re-offer. And as Sharar's senior season came around and he didn't have any basketball offers, football began looking like a better option.
Sharar's football recruiting stock blossomed during his senior year. He racked up 80.5 tackles and nine solo tackles for loss on defense, and he amassed 1,116 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 214 carries.
South Dakota State gave him his first offer on Nov. 2, then UNI on Nov. 19. He attended an Iowa junior day last year, and he said the Hawkeyes had been in contact with him ever since.
"They really liked how much I developed from my junior year to my senior year," Sharar said. "They think I have a lot of potential at the linebacker position."
Sharar becomes Iowa's 17th known 2021 recruit and its first since three-star Ohio quarterback Joey Labas committed on June 10.
He didn't enter the season ranked in the Register's top 40 in-state 2021 prospects, but he's poised for a significant jump when the updated rankings are released next week. Rivals has him unrated, and 247Sports gives him three stars.
Matthew Bain covers recruiting and pretty much anything else under the sports sun for the Des Moines Register and USA TODAY Network. Contact him at mbain@dmreg.com and follow him on Twitter @MatthewBain_.