Brad Fitzgibbon Recaps Iowa Official

IL DL Checks Out Hawkeyes Again, Announcing Tuesday

'25 Chicago Marist DL Brad Fitzgibbon. (Photo: UI via Fitzgibbon X Account) /

Brad Fitzgibbon extracted everything he could out of his Iowa official visit this past weekend. He accomplished it with planning and a thorough approach. 

The moves included asking his sister, Kadyn Fitzgibbon, to join him and their parents, Scott and Lindsay Fitzgibbon, this past weekend in Iowa City. Brad realized his older sibling, a junior gymnast at the University of Illinois, could help.  

"I was glad she was able to meet the coaches and talk with them also," Brad said.

Iowa was the last of officials to his three finalists - Iowa, Kansas, Michigan State. It included the '25 Hawkeye commitments and other top targets in the class. 

"My Iowa visit was an awesome way to end my official visits. I have met so many great coaches, who are also great people," Fitzgibbon said.

He decided earlier this month that he would be announcing his commitment on Tuesday. Bringing his recruitment to a close has been challenging. 

"You build relationships beyond football when you go through your recruiting process, which is great until you have to make a final choice. My top three schools have done a great job recruiting me, but ultimately I can only pick one school," he said.

"One of the hardest choices I have had to make that I can remember, for sure, but my family has really helped me organize my thoughts and priorities, which I am so grateful for. I do know how lucky I am to have that."

Fitzgibbon visited the Hawkeyes back in early April. They offered him a scholarship  about a month later. The official proved to be an enjoyable experience. 

"I loved hanging with the players, recruits and commits. I really got a chance to see the culture of the team and also get to know the other 2025 guys," he said.

Fitzgibbon was hosted by Iowa sophomore defensive back John Nestor. They played together at Chicago Marist in '22. 

"He was one of the guys I looked up to as an underclassman, so having him again show me what Iowa was all about was really cool," Fitzgibbon said.

While Brad was getting to know the Hawkeyes, his parents mingled with other families. 

"They really enjoyed everything about the visit and had a great time with the other parents, too. There were a number of Illinois and Chicago people, so lots of connections to be made," Brad said. 

Fitzgibbon shines during his junior highlight video. He consistently pushes the pocket with his head up and eyes on the target before disengaging and making the stop. 

The 247Sports Composite ranking has Fitzgibbon as a three-star prospect, the No. 90 DL nationally in '25 and the 23rd best player overall in Illinois for the cycle. The On3 Industry Ranking also sees him as a three-star recruit. That site puts him No. 82 on the D-Line and 24th in his state. 

Iowa has collected three commitments from the weekend, so far. Cameron Herron, Lucas Allgeyer and CJ Bell announced they'd be Hawkeyes. It raised the number of the program's '25 class members to 11. 

Tuesday will tell us if Fitzgibbon gets Iowa to 12.