Iowa’s roster is already loaded with long, versatile wings, but Jaidyn Coon brings a different kind of problem for opponents.
With Cooper Koch, Tate Sage and Trey Thompson back, and 2026 commits Jaidyn Coon and Ethan Harris added to the mix, Ben McCollum has plenty of options on the perimeter entering his second season. The Hawkeyes have size and flexibility in abundance, with a group that stretches from six-foot-six to six-foot-ten. What they don’t have much of is a player who can simply explode over people the way Coon can.
That trait has already shown up in Iowa City.
A short clip posted by the official Iowa Men’s Basketball X account showed Coon hammering dunks over six-foot-eleven big man Trevin Jirak and then finishing a lob with a huge alley-oop over Joey Matteoni. It was the kind of sequence that fits the reputation he built at Storm Lake, where he was the most athletic player on the floor every night.
Coon’s senior season wasn’t perfect. His shooting came and went.
But the other parts of his game were loud and clear. He averaged 22.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, and he did it by attacking the rim, finishing through contact and punishing defenses with his leaping ability.
He also used his length and size to defend top opponents and block shots.
That matters for Iowa because this roster already has plenty of players who can shoot, pass and handle the ball. Koch, Sage, Harris and Thompson all fit that description. Coon gives the Hawkeyes something else: a slasher who can get to the rim at will and finish with force.
That kind of pressure changes the floor. If defenders have to collapse on him off the dribble, it creates cleaner looks for everyone else. Coon has also been working on his shot this summer, and if that part of his game keeps coming along, his athleticism becomes even harder to deal with.
Iowa has perimeter depth. It has size.
It has shooters. What it has less of is a true elite finisher who can turn a drive into a highlight in one step.
Coon can do that, and that’s why he could push for an early reserve role, especially if McCollum leans into smaller lineups.
In Other News...
Iowa Just Lost Another Key Piece Of Its 2027 Backcourt Board
Iowas 2027 backcourt board took another hit with the latest movement on TJ Jamison, a 6-foot-2 point guard from Calvary Baptist Academy in Shreveport, Louisiana. Jamison had been one of the Hawkeyes more important early guard targets in the class, and Iowa had done enough to get him onto campus for an official visit, keeping him squarely in the mix as the staff kept building out its point guard priorities.
The Hawkeyes still have work to do in that part of the board, though, and the next stretch of visits will matter. Iowa remains involved with Cayden Daughtry and Jaxson Davis, two other top point guard prospects who are both scheduled to be in Iowa City in September, giving the staff at least a couple more chances to make a move in a recruitment that is starting to thin out. [Read more 🡒]
Ben McCollum Just Made Another Aggressive Recruiting Move Iowa Fans Will Notice
Ben McCollums staff is already looking well ahead, and the latest move shows how early Iowa wants to get in on the 2028 class. The Hawkeyes recently extended a scholarship offer to combo guard Parker McDaniel, a four-star prospect who has been on the programs radar for a while and has stayed in regular contact with the staff since making an unofficial visit to campus last season.
For Iowa, the timing makes sense. With Bennett Stirtz gone, the backcourt has a clear need for another perimeter threat, and McDaniel fits the kind of guard the Hawkeyes are trying to stockpile: a player with range, some ball-handling ability and the competitiveness to hold up defensively. McCollum has not been shy about being aggressive on the recruiting trail, and this is another sign that Iowa plans to be early, and persistent, with the prospects it believes can matter down the road. [Read more 🡒]