Big Class of 2017 offensive lineman Jonathan Gruetzmacher performed well at Iowa’s camp over the summer and returned to campus this past weekend for a game day visit with the Hawkeyes. We caught up with the 6-foot-8, 287-pound Wisconsin native to get his thoughts on the trip, the latest on his recruiting, and much more.
Q: Tell me about the Iowa visit? What all did you do there on Saturday?
GRUETZMACHER: Well, we got down there real early, so we got to see the end of the wrestling match. Then we just walked around and got lunch from one of the food stands down there. Then we met up at 3:30 at the new facility to eat and got a tour of the new weight room. Coach Doyle talked to the group of recruits about the strength and conditioning program. Then we went down to the field and got to talk with a couple of coaches before the game.
Q: What did you think of the game itself and the atmosphere?
GRUETZMACHER: Oh, I loved the atmosphere. I thought it was really cool. It was a sold out stadium and some of the things the crowd does there are really cool. Like at one point, the student section started taking out their phones and putting on their flashlights and pretty soon you saw the whole stadium doing it. It was really cool to see everybody get into it like that.
Q: What was the message you heard from the coaches?
GRUETZMACHER: Just to keep working and keep doing what I’m doing.
Q: Where else have you been for game day visits this season?
GRUETZMACHER: I went to Iowa, Wisconsin, Purdue, and Illinois.
Q: Tell me about your junior year. How did it go for you team wise and individually?
GRUETZMACHER: For me, the year went really well. I had a pretty good year. I thought I got a lot better and improved a lot. I got a lot stronger, a lot bigger, and a lot faster. Our team really had the injury bug. At the end of the season, I think we lost eight guys in one game, so we kind of struggled to get to the end of the season.
See highlights from Gruetzmacher's junior year in the video below:
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3931607/highlights/305769387/v2
Q: Tell me about the Iowa visit? What all did you do there on Saturday?
GRUETZMACHER: Well, we got down there real early, so we got to see the end of the wrestling match. Then we just walked around and got lunch from one of the food stands down there. Then we met up at 3:30 at the new facility to eat and got a tour of the new weight room. Coach Doyle talked to the group of recruits about the strength and conditioning program. Then we went down to the field and got to talk with a couple of coaches before the game.
Q: What did you think of the game itself and the atmosphere?
GRUETZMACHER: Oh, I loved the atmosphere. I thought it was really cool. It was a sold out stadium and some of the things the crowd does there are really cool. Like at one point, the student section started taking out their phones and putting on their flashlights and pretty soon you saw the whole stadium doing it. It was really cool to see everybody get into it like that.
Q: What was the message you heard from the coaches?
GRUETZMACHER: Just to keep working and keep doing what I’m doing.
Q: Where else have you been for game day visits this season?
GRUETZMACHER: I went to Iowa, Wisconsin, Purdue, and Illinois.
Q: Tell me about your junior year. How did it go for you team wise and individually?
GRUETZMACHER: For me, the year went really well. I had a pretty good year. I thought I got a lot better and improved a lot. I got a lot stronger, a lot bigger, and a lot faster. Our team really had the injury bug. At the end of the season, I think we lost eight guys in one game, so we kind of struggled to get to the end of the season.
See highlights from Gruetzmacher's junior year in the video below:
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/3931607/highlights/305769387/v2
