Iowa Football: 5 early signees who’ll have instant impact in 2019

Another late flip the Hawkeyes got for the early-signing period was three-star cornerback Daraun McKinney. McKinney was a Northern Illinois commit and had been committed since early on in the summer. However, things began to change once McKinney decided to take an official visit to Iowa on Dec. 14 and four days later, McKinney flipped his commitment to Iowa, providing more depth to a talented Iowa secondary.

A big reason why McKinney could be an impact player is Kirk Ferentz’s recent trend of not being afraid of playing freshman defensive backs and Daraun McKinney plays a lot like another four-year starting cornerback at Iowa, fellow Michigan-native Desmond King. McKinney has ball skills very similar to Desmond King’s coming out of high school and does an excellent job returning punts and kickoffs, something else King did well at Iowa.

McKinney comes in at a good time as the Hawkeyes had recently lost two defensive backs due to transfer. McKinney will likely come in and have a shot to compete once spring practice rolls around.