Donovan Davis Help Sell Iowa State Basketball To Top 100 Recruit

The Iowa State Cyclones are receiving help from Donovan Davis to help sell the program to other recruits.

Freedom High School's Donovan Davis (24) is fouled by Milwaukee Academy of Science's Devin Brown (12) during the WIAA Division 3 state championship game on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. Milwaukee Academy of Science won the game, 57-54. | Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones picked up another massive win on the recruiting trail when they received a commitment from Class of 2027 small forward Donovan Davis.

A product of Freedom High School, he is the latest in a long line of players hailing from Wisconsin to call Iowa State home for the start of their collegiate careers. It is an impressive feat for head coach T.J. Otzelberger to have such strong roots in the state as a key recruiting pipeline.

Now that Davis is locked in as a member of the Cyclones’ Class of 2027, he is doing what he can to help add even more talent to the program. He is doing what he can to help Iowa State land a commitment from another top 100 player: Baboucarr Ann.

Via Alec Busse of Cyclone Alert, part of the 247Sports Network (subscription required), Davis revealed that he has been speaking to Ann and is doing what he can to steer the Maple Grove product to Ames.

Donovan Davis selling Iowa State to Baboucarr Ann

Freedom High School's Donovan Davis (24) drives to the basket against Luxemburg-Casco High School's Mason Trimberger (12) and Tatem Klaubauf (1) during their boys basketball game Thursday, February 12, 2026, in Freedom. Freedom won 89-48. | Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"He was asking me where I was going to go," Davis told Cyclone Alert of his conversation with Ann. "I was talking to him and telling him, 'We might have to team up maybe!'"

The Cyclones currently have the No. 1-ranked recruiting class in 2027. Along with Davis, they have had another top 100 player, Josiah Harrington, locked in long-term. He committed to the program back on Sept. 26, 2024.

Harrington, a product of North Scott High School, is the No. 2-ranked player in the state of Iowa and a top-50-ranked player nationally. Davis is also ranked in the top 50 nationally, while Ann comes in at No. 53 in the 247 Composite.

School scoring record!!!
47pts 5rebs 4asts 2stls
And a Win!!@GroveHoops @JaredMartyMN @MrYeahIKnow @D1MN2026 @adidasD1MN @Blessed2Coach @Muhneyy_Kev @PaulBiancardi @AdamFinkelstein pic.twitter.com/RoLN61yAAj

— Baboucarr Ann (@Babouann) January 29, 2026

In the 247Sports era of player ranking, Iowa State has never had three players ranked in the top 75 of the same recruiting class. That would change if they were able to secure a commitment from Ann.

Of course, there is still a lot of time until those rankings are solidified. Davis, Harrington and Ann would all have to perform at a high enough level to maintain their spots in the top 75, but they are certainly capable and possess the talent necessary to do so.

Recruiting has been a strength of Otzelberger’s since he became head coach of the Cyclones for the 2021-22 season. Locked into a long-term extension, he has the kind of security that makes selling the program and his plans to recruits all the easier because they know he isn’t going anywhere.