Jake Thies is heading to the Big Ten.

After an outstanding junior season in which he led Fenwick to the Class 6A state championship, Thies announced on Saturday that he’s committed to play football at Iowa. Thies, a three-star prospect and one of the top juniors in the state, started on offense and defense for the Friars, who went 11-3 this past fall.

“From the very beginning of my recruiting process, Iowa was the school that believed in me a ton,” Thies said. “The opportunity to get coached by the best defensive coordinator in the country, who’s also your position coach, that’s a hard opportunity to pass up. I could see the culture of the team when I visited and it’s a place I want to be.”

Thies, whose older brother Tommy is signed to Miami of Ohio, burst onto the scene during his junior season. A two-way star at safety and running back, Thies rushed for 1,142 yards and 14 touchdowns on 143 carries, averaging just under 8 yards per carry. Defensively, Thies recorded 59 tackles, 6 TFLs, 5 FFs, 4 INTs and 3 sacks in the fall.

“The competition in the CCL, it’s the best in the country,” Thies said. “I’m going to play Big Ten football and there are a ton of other guys in the CCL who’re going to play Big Ten football. The CCL is such a tough league and there’s nowhere I’d rather play. I’m playing against the best competition every Friday night and it’s really made me better.”

Thies capped off his junior season with a stellar playoff performance. During Fenwick’s semifinal win over Nazareth, a three-time defending 5A champion, Thies went over 100 rushing and 100 receiving yards as the Friars upset the Roadrunners in overtime. He then rushed for two scores, totaled 176 yards and brought in a key interception to help the Friars knock off East St. Louis in the state championship game.

Thies picked up his first Division I offers late in his sophomore year, but his recruitment took over after his junior season. Since December, Thies has added offers from multiple Power 4 programs such as Duke, Illinois, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, UCLA, Purdue and Northwestern. To date, Thies has earned offers from over 20 Division I programs.

But the Hawkeyes made a strong impression in a short period of time. After receiving a call in December, Thies met with Iowa linebackers coach Seth Wallace for an in-school visit at Fenwick. Thies then met with a trio of coaches, including longtime head coach Kirk Ferentz and defensive coordinator Phil Parker, prior to Iowa’s Junior Day event.

“Iowa was one of the first big schools to reach out and show interest,” Thies said. “They showed a lot of interest in me and they were giving me real feedback... I signed up for their Junior Day and a few days before that, their head coach, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach came in to see me work out in the weight room.”

The in-schools visits carried weight for Thies, who received his offer from the Hawkeyes while on his Junior Day visit in late January. Thies, who will take an official visit to Iowa from June 5-7, intends to play safety at the collegiate level. Thies is prepared to take on any of the three defensive back roles in Parker’s 4-2-5 defensive scheme.

“I’m mostly getting recruited for all of their safety positions,” Thies said. “There are more opportunities to get on the field... I’m really happy with my decision. They’re getting an all-around playmaker who can impact the game and someone who can cause turnovers and play fast. An all-around tough player is what I strive to be.”

Thies currently ranks as the No. 23 junior prospect in the state and the No. 63 safety prospect in the nation, according to the 247Sports composite ratings. He’ll join an Iowa team that finished 9-4 overall, 6-3 in the Big Ten and earned a No. 17 rank in the final AP Poll after beating Vanderbilt 34-27 in the ReliaQuest Bowl this past season.