CEDAR FALLS — The Northern Iowa football team picked up its ninth commitment in the 2023 recruiting class, Monday.
With a tweet that said “1000% COMMITTED,” West Delaware offensive lineman Luke Reth announced his decision to attend UNI over interest from Eastern Michigan, South Dakota, Iowa and Iowa State.
1000% COMMITTED @RyanClanton @CoachBKeith @BrycePaup @CoachMarkFarley @coachwink_ev #panthertrain #everloyal 🟣🟡 pic.twitter.com/2YHhXQ0Mev
— Luke Reth (@RethLuke) July 25, 2022
A 6-foot-4, 256 pound prospect with experience on both sides of the ball, Reth said for now he thinks UNI sees him as an offensive lineman, but ‘it is up in the air at the moment.’
Although his positional fit remains uncertain, there exists little doubt about his fit in Cedar Falls.
“After going on an unofficial visit and going to a camp this summer, I have gotten to meet all the coaches and be able to get coached by them,” Reth said. “I really felt it was a good fit. Getting on campus also helped...Playing at the UNI-Dome has kind of been a dream to me”
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Reth emphasized the relationship with the staff at UNI as the main deciding factor in choosing the Panthers over interest from other schools.
“I really like the campus,” Reth said. “I did like how it was really close together…Facilities are facilities. There are nice, but my thing is it is not about the facilities. It is about the people in the facilities and I really liked everybody there.”
UNI offensive line coach Ryan Clanton served as the primary recruiter during the process and won over the entire Reth family with his straightforward honesty throughout the process—a recurring theme among UNI recruits.
“Coach Clanton, the main guy I have been talking to, is a pretty open guy,” Reth said. “He has been straight forward with me the entire time which I really like. As the O-line coach, I feel like I fit in really well with him. The parents approve of him too which is always a plus.”
He added familial ties and proximity to his home both factored into a feeling of comfort with the school.
‘I also have relatives who went to UNI,” Reth said. “I have buddies that go to UNI right now too and they all love it. It felt like home to me honestly…It was a really big part in making decision—being close to family. It is just right down the highway.”
With a 530 squat max and 405 bench press max, Reth and the Panthers’ coaching staff believe he possesses all the tool to be a playmaker in the Missouri Valley Football Conference.
Tools which UNI knows how to develop into next level talent with alumni Trevor Penning, Spencer Penning and Jackson Scott-Brown finding success in the NFL and USFL.
“For them to be able to show they can produce NFL linemen was huge,” Reth said. “It was almost a no-brainer.”
