Williamsburg's Rayce Heitman knew he’d won an Iowa state football title before the championship game ended.
The two-way Raiders player – then a junior, in the 2023 season – helped his teammates post a shutout over Bishop Heelan and claim the program’s first state championship in football.
And it was Heitman who delivered the gut punch against Heelan, taking a direct snap on fourth-and-goal and scoring what would be the final touchdown of the game midway through the fourth quarter.
He almost never left the field in that game, contributing on offense, leading the team in tackles (with nine solo takedowns) and serving as the Raiders’ kick and punt returner.
This season, his senior year, he took on larger roles and excelled. He led Williamsburg in receiving yards and touchdowns on offense, total tackles on defense and returned more than two dozen kicks or punts.
In the middle of it all, he committed to his favorite college football program. And on Wednesday, Heitman will sign on with Iowa football as a preferred walk-on.
“I grew up an Iowa fan,” Heitman told the Des Moines Register. “Ever since I was little, I’ve been going to Iowa games and always been cheering on the Hawkeyes.”
Heitman’s lifelong dream of playing in an Iowa jersey superseded scholarship offers, including a Division I invitation from South Dakota. But going to school and playing football close to family and friends – Williamsburg is 30 minutes from Iowa City – played a part, as well.
For Heitman, there is a piece of home already on the Hawkeyes' roster: former Raiders teammate and current Iowa linebacker Derek Weisskopf.
“He played a part in my decision to commit,” Heitman shared. “I’ve talked to him a lot. I’ve been friends with him since he moved here, so I’ve always been in communication with him. And then having (former Iowa player and) coach (Austin) Blythe at football helped too.”
Heitman, one of Williamsburg’s do-it-all athletes, was originally recruited as a linebacker by Iowa’s coaching staff, but he’s since been recruited as a defensive back. The 6-foot-2 senior doesn’t care what position Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz and company want him to play; he’s just happy to be committed to a Division I program.
“Fine by me,” he said of the switch. “I’ll just play football.”
Heitman is looking forward to starting college and making new friends and, of course, joining the Hawkeye football program. Dream come true doesn’t adequately describe what it was like for him to receive the initial walk-on offer and subsequently commit.
He wished his senior season could’ve ended in victory (Williamsburg lost in the round-of-16), but he’s excited by the opportunity to play somewhere at the next level. That isn’t something Heitman takes for granted.
And for other athletes who might have a similar recruiting experience, Heitman shared a simple piece of advice.
“Put your name out there and see what happens.”
Alyssa Hertel is the college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at [email protected] or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.