On Friday, Jermaine Polk announced the Top 5 programs involved in his recruitment. The 2026 Ohio defensive lineman included Iowa among them.

“Some aspects of Iowa that I like are the production they have of players that go to the league at my position and how loyal their coaching staff is,” he said.

Iowa State, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Boston College rounded out his Top 5. So far, Polk (6-4, 275) has official visits set to all but East Lansing, including Iowa City on June 20. He visited the Hawkeyes unofficially at the end of March.

“I’m hoping to learn about how connected the players are and how much the coaches really care about the program while I’m there,” Polk said.

The Hawkeyes traditionally field a strong defense. They ask a lot of the D-Linemen.

“I fit in the defense because I’m aggressive, and I flow anywhere the ball is,” he said.

Prep Redzone ranks Polk as the ninth-best defensive lineman among the 2026 Class in talent-rich Ohio. The Toledo St. Francis De Sales senior-to-be was listed as one of the scouting service’s risers in its last rankings update.

Academics will be a key component in Polk’s decision. He looks forward to finding out more about what his finalists have to offer.

“I’m thinking about studying Kinesiology or Business Communications. I look at myself years from now being a physical therapist or trainer of some sort,” he said.