Iowa’s push for Cayden Daughtry is getting louder, and the national buzz around the five-star point guard is starting to sound pretty familiar.
The 6-foot-1, 155-pound recruit from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., has been piling up praise all summer, and 247Sports national basketball director Eric Bossi went as far as linking Daughtry’s rise to Trae Young and Steph Curry.
“Right now, Cayden Daughtry is in the midst of, if we're talking about production-wise, one of the most incredible summers before a senior season that we've ever seen from a point guard and it is very reminiscent of Trae Young's summer of 2016 with MOKAN Elite. He absolutely blew up the EYBL circuit, won a Peach Jam...
“And with Daughtry, we're talking about a guy who is not only leading the EYBL in scoring but I also think is second in assists. He's just been tearing it up.
Over Memorial Day, he was great. At the USA trials, he was fantastic,” Bossi said on “The Assist with Kyle Tucker.”
The numbers back up the hype. Through his first 14 Nike EYBL games this summer, Daughtry averaged 25.6 points, 6.0 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals while shooting 55% from the field. He followed that with a huge Peach Jam opener, putting up 32 points, nine assists and seven steals.
Bossi also pointed to a Curry-like element in Daughtry’s game.
“Daughtry also shows some flashes of Steph Curry in his game at times if we're being honest, especially when he's on from three. I'm not saying he's either of those guys, but you can see the influence in them,” Bossi said.
Iowa is still in the mix, and On3’s Joe Tipton reported last month that Daughtry is scheduled to take an official visit to Iowa on Sept. 12, the weekend of the annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series football game between Iowa and Iowa State.
247Sports currently lists Daughtry as the No. 9 prospect nationally, the No. 3 point guard and the No. 5 player in Florida in the 2027 class.
In Other News...
Trevin Jirak Suddenly Looks Like A Real Answer For Iowa
A summer scrimmage at the University of Iowa offered a useful look at Trevin Jirak, and the sophomore seemed to stand out for all the right reasons. He looked more agile, more confident and cleaner with the ball, signs of a player who has taken a real step forward since last season, when he averaged 3.4 points per game in a limited role.
Ben McCollum also came away encouraged by the way Jirak fit into what Iowa is trying to build. With more length and shooting on hand, the Hawkeyes appear to have more lineup options than they did a year ago, and Jiraks development could help give them another reliable piece as his role grows this season. [Read more 🡒]
Why Tradon Bessinger Already Has Iowa Fans Paying Close Attention
Tradon Bessinger has barely gotten his Iowa career started, but the freshman quarterback is already drawing attention inside the program. The 2026 recruit from Kaysville, Utah, arrives as a highly regarded addition to a quarterback room that is still sorting out its hierarchy, with Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown battling for the top spot and the rest of the depth chart still taking shape.
For Iowa, Bessinger is the kind of long-term piece that can make a room feel different almost immediately, even before he takes a meaningful snap. Coaches and players have already pointed to his development and upside as he adjusts to the college offense, and that alone has made him worth watching closely as the Hawkeyes keep building around a position that remains very much in flux. [Read more 🡒]