Iowa Out of Running For Four-Star Forward

Having set her commitment date, the Iowa Hawkeyes learned they're out of the running for four-star forward Amari Byles. In the end, Byles will be choosing between Oregon, Notre Dame and Baylor.

After landing McKenna Woliczko a few weeks ago, head coach Jan Jensen was looking for her next top recruit in the Class of 2026. Byles had Iowa in her Top 6, but elected not to move them any further.

Thankfully for the Hawkeyes, they're still in the running for Addison Bjorn and Jenica Lewis. Bjorn seems like the odds on-favorite to join Woliczko in her stellar Class of '26. Losing Byles hurts, but the Hawkeyes are prepared to move forward without her.

Fans of the Ducks, Fighting Irish, and Bears will be watching intently on October 25 when Byles announces her decision. Her announcement will take place at 3 p.m. EST as she posted a graphic on social media asking, "Where's home?"

💥Announcing my commitment Sat 10/25 -2pm CT-DM me for details/location to join me!💥Hope to see you there!! pic.twitter.com/TweBM3cNeV
— ★AB24★ (@AmariByles2026) October 17, 2025

Shockingly, Byles landed on her Top 3 before ever visiting with Iowa. Jensen's recruiting speaks for itself, but she was unable to go through with her official visit with Byles. Instead, Byles opted to name her Top 3 before her scheduled visit with the Hawkeyes on October 24.

With that visit no longer taking place, Iowa can put their time elsewhere. Byles previously had Iowa in her Top 6 along with Stanford and Ohio State. In the end, Oregon remains the only B1G school in the running.

Despite being in her Top 6, Byles then cut things down to four. Iowa and Stanford were removed before Ohio State eventually didn't make the cut from four to three. Byles, who had visited Iowa back in the summer of 2024, is a clear frontrunner for Baylor.

4⭐️ recruit Amari Byles (@AmariByles2026) tells me this morning that she has narrowed down her list of schools from 15 to a Top 6:

🔹Oregon
🔹Notre Dame
🔹Ohio State
🔹Iowa
🔹Baylor
🔹Stanford pic.twitter.com/wC7qBaKLQR
— E J 🏀 (@EJayArrow) October 3, 2025

The Bears continue to build a successful women's basketball program, one that could greatly benefit from the addition of the Texas native. Byles, who attends Faith Family Academy of Oak Cliff in Dallas, may opt to remain close to home. If she decides to do so, Baylor would be the perfect fit.

Standing 6'2'', Iowa would've loved her size and athleticism to join them in 2026. Byles is the No. 3 player in Texas and the No. 7 power forward in the nation, according to 247Sports.

Jensen is now forced to move on from Byles, a target Iowa has had on their radar for well over a year. In the end, Iowa's Class of '26 would still be a smashing success if they're able to have Bjorn join Woliczko. Bjorn, the No. 1 player in Missouri, placed Iowa in her Top 7 earlier this month.

While the Hawkeyes face stiff competition against the likes of Notre Dame, Duke, Texas, UConn, UNC, and Kansas, that doesn't scare Jensen. After she was able to secure Woliczko, Iowa's highest rated recruit since Caitlin Clark, the first thing Woliczko did was try to bring Bjorn to Iowa. Together, Iowa would have an unstoppable duo for the Class of 2026.

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