Jan Jensen just got the kind of recruiting update Iowa has been hunting for.
After a run of momentum with 2027 targets, the Hawkeyes landed another major boost when Khalia Hartwell, one of the top centers in the class, trimmed her list to three schools: Georgia, Iowa, and Virginia Tech. Hartwell, a six-foot-four post prospect, also has official visits lined up to each of her finalists, including a September 11 stop in Iowa City this fall.
The news matters because Hartwell is not just any big. 247Sports lists her as the No. 2 overall center in the 2027 class and South Carolina’s No. 1 overall prospect, making her omission from Dawn Staley’s final group a notable miss for the Gamecocks. For Iowa, though, it’s another sign that the program is staying in the hunt for high-end talent even after missing out on Mya Wilson, the No. 44 overall player in 2027, who committed to Ohio State.
The Hawkeyes have already stacked up several wins on the recruiting trail in that class. Nation Williams, the No. 10 overall prospect, Destiny Manyawu, the No. 25 overall prospect, and Sienna Williams, the No. 64 overall prospect, all included Iowa on their final lists.
Hartwell would fill a real need. Hannah Stuelke is headed to Italy to start her professional basketball career, and that leaves Ava Heiden and Layla Hays, both listed at six-foot-five, as the only remaining post players. Iowa also added McKenna Woliczko, a six-foot-two recruit in the 2026 class, and Jocelyn Faison, a six-foot-one transfer, but both are better suited to play forward.
Hartwell brings a different kind of presence. She is a true center who works inside the paint, using her length to score, rebound, and protect the rim.
Her offensive game is still developing, but her shot-blocking stands out because she does it at a high rate without piling up fouls. In a frontcourt with Hays and Heiden, she would give Iowa a serious wall around the basket.
The Hawkeyes already have sharpshooting 2027 commit Jada Seubert in the class, but Hartwell would add the kind of size and rebounding the roster needs. And with Jensen’s track record as a post developer, Iowa has a real shot to turn that upside into production if it can finish the job.
In Other News...
Iowa Lands In A Massive Recruiting Battle For Elite 2027 Guard
The recruiting trail is already heating up for Iowa, and one of the more intriguing names in the class of 2027 is Jalen Davis. The top-20 guard from Bremerton High School in Washington has trimmed his list to 10 schools, and the Hawkeyes are in the mix alongside a crowded field of major programs. Davis is coming off an eye-catching summer on the circuit, which has only strengthened the attention around him as he continues to rise nationally.
Iowa will get its chance to make a stronger impression when Davis is scheduled to visit on October 3, part of a run of upcoming stops that also includes several other schools. He has already been to Washington, giving the Huskies an early foothold, but the race is still wide open with so many programs involved. For Iowa, landing a player with Davis profile would be a significant win, and the next few weeks should tell plenty about where the Hawkeyes stand. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa's Special Teams Overhaul Puts New Kicker Under An Immediate Spotlight
Iowas special teams room looks a lot different heading into the season, with coordinator LeVar Woods gone and several key spots now being rebuilt around transfer additions. The biggest name in that reset is placekicker Eli Ozick, who is expected to take over for Drew Stevens and immediately becomes one of the more watched pieces of Chris Polizzis new-look operation.
Polizzi has brought in transfers to help fill several of those roles, but the unit is still sorting through a few unsettled spots as camp moves along. For Iowa, that makes the kicking battle more than just a routine position change, because special teams has long been a defining part of the programs identity and the next wave has to prove it can hold up quickly. [Read more 🡒]
George Kittle Keeps Giving Iowa Fans Another Reason To Brag
George Kittle spent much of last season fighting through a torn Achilles, yet he still managed to stay central to the San Francisco 49ers passing game and remain their top receiving option. For Iowa fans, that is just the latest reminder of how special the former Hawkeye has become, especially after he landed at No. 46 on the NFLs Top 100 Players list for the upcoming season and continued to grade out among the leagues best tight ends in multiple performance metrics.
Kittles rsum keeps looking more like the kind reserved for future Canton conversations, with multiple Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods already on the page and his career production creeping toward benchmarks associated with Hall of Fame tight ends. The bigger question now is not whether he has given Iowa plenty to celebrate, but how much more he can add to a case that already feels awfully strong. [Read more 🡒]