A big recruiting weekend for the Hawkeyes turned to gold after a top-25 prospect decided to stay in Iowa City.
The annual Cy-Hawk football game is massive not only for the football program and the state, but also for recruiting. Several top football targets attended, and they weren't the only ones. Iowa women's basketball also had multiple prospects visiting, and one decided she is returning sooner rather than later.
Top-25 2027 prospect Khalia Hartwell announced her commitment to Iowa
2027 Iowa commit Jada Seubert attended Iowa's game against Iowa State, along with several other top targets. Seubert committed to the program in January, but hasn't convinced any other prospects to sign. That all changed when 2027 top-25 prospect Khalia Hartwell decided between the two programs she was considering.
NEWS: Khalia Hartwell, a four-star center in the class of 2027, has committed to Iowa, @247Sports is told pic.twitter.com/Uu7etig04y
— Dushawn London (@DushawnLondon1) October 2, 2026
Hartwell announced she is committing to the Iowa program after recently narrowing her choices to two. Jan Jensen and the program made an aggressive late push to sign Hartwell after offering her in September 2025, and it paid off. 247Sports Composite ranks Hartwell as a five-star prospect, South Carolina's No. 1 overall prospect, the No. 4 center prospect, and the No. 21 overall prospect in the 2027 recruiting class. Jensen and the Iowa program have now signed a five-star prospect in three straight years, including Addie Deal (2025), McKenna Woliczko (2026), and Hartwell (2027). Hartwell has the size (six-foot-five) and elite defensive ability to make an immediate impact for the Hawkeyes, and she will complement Ava Heiden and Layla Hays in the post.
Hartwell is one of the class's best defenders, using her length and athleticism to block a ton of shots and rack up steals. She is also a force down low on both ends of the court, giving the program something it hasn't had in a long time. Although Hartwell's offense is still developing, she is already an elite defender and can make an immediate impact at that end of the floor. Jensen is adept at developing post players and adding to Hartwell's already extensive bag will be a massive addition for the program.
Ava Heiden was a similar prospect out of Oregon in 2024, and she has thrived under Jensen's tutelage. It is still too early to compare Heiden and Hartwell, but there are similarities. Hartwell is already a much more polished defender, and if she can develop her offense, she will be a force for the Hawkeyes in the paint. Hartwell gives Iowa the size they desperately need, and she has the potential to be an elite defender and rebounder from day one.
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