Cayden Daughtry’s summer run at the Peach Jam forced everyone to take notice, and the recruiting rankings followed.
The 2027 five-star Iowa basketball target was named the U17 Nike EYBL MVP after a dominant showing at the championship event for the Nike EYBL AAU circuit. Across eight games at Peach Jam, Daughtry averaged 32.3 points, 6.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 2.9 steals per game while shooting 58.6% from the field and 48.8% from 3-point range.
That kind of production against elite competition was always going to move him up the board. It did exactly that. 247Sports now lists Daughtry as the No. 3 prospect in the 2027 class.
The 6-foot guard from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., remains Ben McCollum’s top uncommitted target in next year’s class, and Iowa is right in the thick of the race. Daughtry already has a long list of power-conference offers, but so far he has set only one official visit, and it belongs to the Hawkeyes.
That trip is scheduled for Sept. 11-13, when Iowa hosts Iowa State in football. More visits are expected this fall, but Iowa getting the first official visit is a big deal in a recruitment this crowded. McCollum will have a chance to make his pitch in front of a loud Kinnick Stadium crowd and sell Daughtry on the program.
Iowa has already added four-star forward Keller Daugherty in the 2027 class, but landing Cayden Daughtry would be on another level. He would become the highest-rated recruit in program history and another major sign of McCollum’s momentum.
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Jamison, ranked 36th nationally, is set to choose his school on July 25, which gives Iowa a short window to keep building on the impression it made during that visit. For a program trying to establish itself under Ben McCollum, landing a player like Jamison would be a major sign that the Hawkeyes can compete for elite backcourt talent well beyond their usual footprint. [Read more 🡒]
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Up front, Kade Pieper and Trevor Lauck are the names to watch, with both linemen viewed as the kind of steady anchors that usually end up on postseason lists when Iowa is playing its best football. There is also a new piece in the secondary in Tyler Brown, whose arrival gives the Hawkeyes another intriguing option as they try to build a defense that can hold up in the Big Ten race and keep this early projection from feeling like simple offseason optimism. [Read more 🡒]
Iowas Five-Star Freshman Is Already Giving Hawkeyes Real Reason For Hope
McKenna Woliczko arrived in Iowa City over the summer with plenty of buzz attached to her name, and the five-star freshman from California has already started turning that reputation into something more tangible. The early months have been about the usual college transition, but also about refining the parts of her game that will matter most in the Big Ten, especially her perimeter shooting and overall physicality. Head coach Jan Jensen has liked what she has seen from the freshman forward, pointing to her versatility and the way she has handled the adjustment period.
For Iowa, the appeal is obvious. Woliczko was brought in as a player who can fit into multiple spots in the lineup, and the Hawkeyes are counting on her to be part of a bigger shift in how they want to play this season. Jensen has already seen signs that the freshman is moving in the right direction, and the progress she made during summer workouts only adds to the sense that she could become a major piece sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]
