Eight thoughts on the 2018 Iowa Eight football team

The Des Moines Register

This marks the fourth Iowa Eight football team we've put together at the Register. Here are eight thoughts on this year's roster:

Sep 15, 2017; Southeast Polk Rams RB Gavin Williams scores a touchdown against Ankeny Centennial at Ram Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-For The Herald

This was easily the hardest team to assemble. We're enjoying a bit of a golden age in football talent in this state, particularly with a much-deeper-than-normal 2019 class. So this year's "just missed" list could have easily been members of an Iowa Eight in years past. In the end, it came down to splitting hairs. This all means it's a great time to be a high school football fan in Iowa.

IOWA EIGHT:Meet the full team and the players who just missed the cut

Underclassmen are emerging as legitimate recruiting stars. As strong as the 2019 class is, Iowa also has several early rising stars in its 2020 and 2021 classes. We thought Gavin Williams, T.J. Bollers and Josh Volk were the most promising at this point. Williams is already an established four-star kid in the region. Volk looks like the next-in-line offensive lineman star from this state. And Bollers — even though he's a rising-sophomore — is thought to be one of the Midwest's top rising prospects.

MORE:C.B. Lewis Central QB Max Duggan has proven to be the real deal

Clear Creek Amana 2021 defensive end T.J. Bollers takes off his helmet during an Iowa prospect camp on June 3, 2018.

Speaking of underclassmen ... Bollers is the first rising sophomore we've ever picked for the Iowa Eight football team. We're confident Bollers isn't just hype. Based on personal observations and conversations with recruiting contacts, the Clear Creek Amana product is the real deal. Bollers is already a super smart, grounded kid. But he also has a wonderful support system that will help him keep his head down as he continues to work hard and improve.

The Hawkeyes are well-represented. Three Iowa recruits made the Iowa Eight in Jack Campbell, Ezra Miller and Tyler Endres. That's the most of any school. Mosai Newsom is committed to Nebraska, Max Duggan is committed to TCU and Williams, Bollers and Volk are all not committed. Iowa State didn't land an Iowa Eight member, but they're represented by Bettendorf's Darien Porter and West Des Moines Valley's Jake Remsburg in the "just missed" list. Iowa recruit and New Hampton offensive guard Noah Fenske also made the just missed list.

MORE:Ridge View T Ezra Miller might be the nimblest 305-pounder you'll see

Ridge View rising junior Ezra Miller was the first verbal commitment of Iowa's 2019 football recruiting class. Miller is a 6-6, 300-pound offensive tackle and is considered a four-star recruit.

No shortage of offensive linemen, that's for sure. Pigs will fly before a Register's Iowa Eight football team doesn't include an offensive lineman. This state is just so dang good at producing that position, and 2018 is no different. Miller and Endres are high-level four-star guys who project well with the Hawkeyes. Then, Volk has established himself as one of the best 2020 offensive linemen in the Midwest, and he's poised for another recruiting bump with a big junior season.

But we've also got a pair of truly elite skill position recruits. Duggan and Williams are proving what Oliver Martin proved in 2017: Iowa can also produce Power Five talent at the skill positions. Porter belongs in this discussion, too.

MORE:Southeast Polk's Gavin Williams looks like the state's 2020 star

The talent is spread out ... but, by the numbers, eastern Iowa wins. Cedar Falls' Campbell, Waverly-Shell Rock's Newsom, CCA's Bollers and Cedar Rapids Xavier's Volk give the eastern side of the state four representatives in this year's Iowa Eight. Western Iowa has two representatives in Council Bluffs Lewis Central's Duggan and Ridge View's Miller. Central Iowa has two representatives in Norwalk's Endres and Southeast Polk's Williams.

Cedar Falls' Jack Campbell gathers with teammates before their gamea t West High on Friday, Nov. 3, 2017.

We've got a good chance to see all eight in the postseason. Most honorees play for a team expected to do well this season, and perhaps even make it to the UNI-Dome. Cedar Falls (No. 5), Cedar Rapids Xavier (No. 7), Lewis Central (No. 8) and Southeast Polk (No. 10) are all ranked in the Register's preseason Super 10. Waverly-Shell Rock is No. 10 in our preseason 3A ranking. Norwalk and Ridge View are thought to be contenders in for playoff spots in 3A and A, respectively, this season. CCA loses a lot from last year's roster and might face the steepest climb to the postseason, but the defense should be improved — Bollers will help in that category.

MORE:Cedar Rapids Xavier OL Josh Volk projects as a big-time 2020 recruit

Matthew Bain covers college football and basketball recruiting for the Des Moines Register. He also helps out with Iowa and Iowa State football and basketball coverage for HawkCentral and Cyclone Insider. Contact him at mbain@dmreg.com and follow him on Twitter @MatthewBain_.