Former Coach Helps Player Land at Iowa

So the road to Iowa apparently runs through Indiana. At least it did for Wootton wide receiver Stephane N'goumou, who this weekend committed to play for the Hawkeyes.

"You remember Gunnard Twyner?" Wootton Coach Greg Malling said. "He got it started."

Twyner, the former Kennedy coach now living in Indiana, had some connections with the staff at Iowa, Malling said, adding, "He always had an interest in Stephane and said he's a D-1 receiver."

So Malling sent Twyner a copy of N'goumou's highlight tape, and Twyner then passed it on. Iowa maintained contact with N'goumou for the last few months before things picked up in January. N'goumou made an official visit to Iowa City this past weekend and the 6-4, 205-pound senior prepared to accept when a scholarship offer was made on Sunday.

"He was really hoping this one would work out," Malling said. "It's the Big Ten, it's Iowa, it's all that stuff."

N'goumou other scholarship offers were from Eastern Michigan and Towson. He had planned an official visit to Syracuse next weekend.