Iowa State Basketball Maintains Elite Class of 2027 Ranking

The Class of 2027 player ranking adjustments didn't drop the Iowa State Cyclones from near the top.

Mar 20, 2024; Omaha, NE, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger talks with the media during the NCAA first round practice session at CHI Health Center Omaha. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team has been elevated to an incredibly high level by head coach T.J. Otzelberger.

He took over a program that won only two games in the final season under Steve Prohm. A rapid turnaround occurred, as Otzelberger had the Cyclones in the NCAA tournament in Year 1 and every campaign since.

Iowa State is riding a five-year streak of March Madness appearances and has advanced to the Sweet 16 three times. They have been unable to get over the hump yet, but they hope that will change in the near future with some of the talent being brought in through high school recruiting.

Otzelberger and his staff have excelled when it comes to recruiting, and that is on display once again with their Class of 2027. Currently, there are three players committed: Josiah Harrington, Donovan Davis and Jack Kohnen.

Iowa State remains No. 1-ranked Class of 2027

Mar 20, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger addresses the media after a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the Tennessee State Tigers at Enterprise Center. | Jeff Le-Imagn Images

Recently, 247Sports updated its player rankings for the class. All three Cyclones players had their rankings adjusted, but one thing stayed the same: this group is the cream of the crop for the Class of 2027 rankings.

Iowa State currently has the No. 1-ranked group for the Class of 2027 in the country, per 247Spots. Harrington is now the highest-ranked player of the trio, coming in at No. 43, moving up from No. 48.

Davis was No. 44 in the previous edition, but slipped slightly, as he is now ranked No. 47. Kohnen had the biggest jump of the three future Cyclones players, moving up from No. 81 to No. 64.

All three of them are four-star players with a rating of at least 91. They are some of the best recruits to ever commit to Iowa State, with Davis, Kohnen and Harrington ranking Nos. 4, 5 and 8 all time.

This is historically good recruiting class for Iowa State

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 only players better than Davis are Omaha Biliew in the Class of 2023, Tyrese Hunter in the Class of 2021 and Milan Momcilovic in the Class of 2023.

It is going to be challenging for the Cyclones to hold onto the top spot, given how many five-star players remain uncommitted at this time. Once they begin selecting their schools, the rankings are going to change drastically.

However, one thing is for sure: there is some serious young talent heading to Ames in the near future. Even if Iowa State’s Class of 2027 slips out of the No. 1 spot eventually, Otzelberger landed three more blue-chip prospects to help continue elevating this program to new levels.