Recruiting News and Notes: Isaiah Robertson names his Top 6 schools

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Ivory Kelly-Martin (RB), Oswego East

The junior three-star running back gave the Iowa Hawkeyes his verbal commitment earlier this week. Kelly-Martin (5-foot-11, 195 pounds), who was an All-State performer last season and helped lead Nazareth Academy to the Class 6A title, talked about why he decided to pledge to the Hawkeyes.

"I just felt that Iowa was the best choice for me," Kelly-Martin said. "I connected really well with the coaches at Iowa, including head coach Kirk Ferentz and running backs coach Chris White. Iowa has an experienced staff and they know how to win. Iowa also has some of the best facilities I've ever seen. I'm just very excited to be a part of the Hawkeye family."

So why commit this early?

"I just felt very comfortable with the coaches at Iowa and the school is just a great fit for me," Kelly-Martin said. "The recruiting process is exciting but it can also be very stressful. I always knew I wanted to commit early and Iowa was just too good of an opportunity for me to pass up."

Olalere Oladipo (DE), Huntley

The junior three-star defensive end was getting ready to narrow down his list of favorite schools until Penn State came in and offered him a scholarship.

"I was thinking about naming a top schools list but then Penn State offered," Oladipo said. "It just seems that I need to hold off for now on naming any favorites. I don't want to shut the door on schools right now especially with the spring evaluation period coming."

[MORE PREPS: Oswego East's Ivory Kelly-Martin pledges to Iowa]

Oladipo (6-foot-4, 235 pounds), who has 16 scholarship offers this spring, played defensive tackle for the Red Raiders last season. Oladipo is being recruited as a defensive end, and several Power 5 schools plan to watch him workout once the spring evaluation period begins on April 15.

"Schools that have been interested but who haven't offered me just yet want to see me work out at defensive end," Oladipo said. "I played defensive tackle last season so I don't have any real tape playing end. College coaches want to see if I can make the adjustment from defensive tackle to defensive end. That seems to be one of the reasons some schools are waiting to offer me."

Isaiah Robertson (ATH), Neuqua Valley

Robertson (6-foot-2, 185 pounds) recently announced his Top 6 schools (Illinois, Penn State, Notre Dame, Iowa, Wisconsin and Vanderbilt) on Twitter.

Does Robertson have a time frame in mind for making his verbal commitment? "The beginning to middle of the summer," Robertson said.

[MORE PREPS: Maine South OL Kevin Jarvis commits to Michigan State]

Isaac Hawn (OT), St. Charles North 

Hawn (6-foot-6, 285 pounds) might be one of the state's most traveled recruits in the Class of 2017. Hawn, who has made several dozen unofficial campus visits so far this offseason, discussed the value in hitting the recruiting trail hard.

"It's no mystery that coaches want you to show interest in their program and that's a part of getting out to make visits." Hawn said. "It's also a great way to just get a better feel for each school and each football program. Miami of Ohio is a prime example for why I'm happy I decided to make a visit to see them in person. I honestly didn't know too much about Miami of Ohio but I decided to visit them. I saw the school up close and talked to the coaches in person and I was really impressed with Miami of Ohio. It's a school that I'll definitely consider hard and if I didn't make that visit, I would have most likely not have looked at them as hard."

So when will Hawn, who has 14 scholarship offers, make a verbal commitment?

"I would like to make my college choice before the start of the season," Hawn said. "We have a lot of guys coming back this season and we have a chance to have a great year. I want my focus to be on my team first and I don't want anything to distract me once the season begins."

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