Stevenson senior wide receiver Henry Marchese (6-foot-3, 190 pounds) waited for the right offer and opportunity to come along. That patience paid off on Tuesday when he verbally committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes.
"Iowa is just the best fit for me," Marchese said moments after announcing his decision via Twitter. "The school, the atmosphere, the football program. It was everything about Iowa."
Marchese, whose father (John) played for Iowa in the mid-80s, will now follow in his dad's footsteps in Iowa City.
"Having my dad play at Iowa and getting a chance to play in his footsteps means a lot to me."
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Marchese, who also had scholarship offers from Miami (OH), Central Michigan, Army and Bowling Green, and serious interest from Illinois, Penn State, Indiana and Minnesota, waited on Iowa to extend an offer. He received that offer late last week.
Marchese is the 15th verbal commitment in the Hawkeyes Class of 2017 and is the fourth state of Illinois pledge. Marchese joins Edwardsville defensive end AJ Epenesa, Oswego East running back Ivory Kelly-Martin and Bradley defensive back Camron Harrell as Hawkeyes commits.