After a stunning Elite Eight run, all the momentum was on Ben McCollum's side.
In his first season at the helm, McCollum did something we haven't seen since the 1980s when Tom Davis was head coach, and the program has used that momentum to entice multiple talented prospects on the recruiting trail. The program has been aggressively pursuing multiple high-ranked prospects in the glass, especially guards, but all the hard work hasn't paid off. With several official visits already scheduled, the program got some discouraging news from a top-50 prospect in the 2027 class.
2027 prospect Jaxson Davis has canceled his official visit to Iowa City
Iowa has been heavily focused on the 2027 class and has already locked up talented stretch-forward prospect Keller Daugherty. With Daugherty already on board, the Hawkeyes have swung for the fences by offering multiple top guards in the class, including top-10 prospect Cayden Daughtry. Unfortunately for the program, one of their highly coveted potential recruits has canceled his official visit.
4⭐️ Jaxson Davis is no longer taking an official visit to Iowa this weekend, he told @Rivals. https://t.co/QMEsHvRncq https://t.co/pKN1aFSf2H
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) September 15, 2026
2027 four-star prospect Jaxson Davis was scheduled to be on campus this weekend, but has reportedly canceled his official visit. Davis initially scheduled his OV earlier in June, but backed out of it. After a metoric rise up the recruiting rankings at Warren Township High School in Illinois, Davis headed south to Kansas City to join the newly-created Monarch Academy for his senior season. He is an extremely talented combo guard prospect who averaged 23.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 3.2 steals per game for the Warren Township Blue Devils last season.
McCollum has been highly active in Davis' recruitment, which placed the Hawkeyes in his top six. It is unclear why Davis canceled his official visit during the week it was set to take place, but it is very possible his increased rank opened up more opportunities for him elsewhere. It is strange that Rivals projected Iowa as the early favorite to land him and now he isn't even taking his official visit, suggesting he has narrowed his focus to other programs. Ohio State has now emerged as a heavy favorite after he visited on September 11, which put the writing on the wall for Iowa.
From an early favorite to no longer in contention hurts, but the program can remedy that by adding Cayden Daughtry or Jalen Davis. For now, the program can move on to other prospects, knowing that they are likely out of contention for Jaxson Davis. Iowa's guard depth is a definite focus in the 2027 recruiting cycle, and McCollum and his staff must pivot quickly if they want to add talent to the roster as official visits start to stack up this fall. Iowa is by no means losing sleep over Davis' decision, but losing out on a top prospect you were heavily focused on definitely hurts.
Recruiting is tough for a reason, especially with expanded NIL and revenue-sharing opportunities, and hopefully, Iowa has the necessary resources to help McCollum go after the players he needs to put them in contention for the foreseeable future.
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