Five-Star Recruiting Visit Could Make a Cy-Hawk Win Even Bigger for Iowa

Iowa's game against Iowa State is already massive on the gridiron. It gets even bigger when you look at the entire picture.

Florida Rebels Cayden Daughtry (3) passes the ball during the third day of the 2026 Nike EYBL Peach Jam at Riverview Park Activities Center in North Augusta, S.C., on Thursday, July 16, 2026. The NY Rens defeated the Florida Rebels 84-83. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Is it possible that the Iowa Hawkeyes could win multiple times this weekend during the Cy-Hawk? It's certainly not out of the question.

Not only are the Iowa Hawkeyes looking to stop a skid of losses to the Iowa State Cyclones on the gridiron, but the basketball program is also getting involved in the fun.

That's right. Ben McCollum is using a primetime night game inside Kinnick Stadium to host one of the Hawkeyes' biggest recruits and show him what he could be a part of.

Iowa basketball is hosting five-star recruit Cayden Daughtry

Ben McCollum and the Iowa Hawkeyes are hosting one of, if not the, biggest recruits of his short tenure in Iowa City.

Iowa is hosting Cayden Daughtry, the five-star point guard in the class of 2027. Daughtry is a product of Calvary Christian Academy and is very highly touted. The 6-foot-tall guard plays a style reminiscent of Bennett Stirtz. He can handle the ball with confidence, shoot from outside, and isn't afraid to go into the paint. He fits Ben McCollum's point guard mold very well.

He is listed as the No. 4 prospect in Florida, the No. 2 point guard in the class, and the No. 7 overall player in the class of 2027, per the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

The Hawkeyes are in a recruiting battle with Florida State and Miami.

VISIT NEWS: 2027 5⭐ Cayden Daughtry has scheduled the following official visits, source told @LeagueRDY:

Florida State: August 28th-30th
Tennessee: September 4th-6th
Iowa: September 11th-13th
UConn: September 19th-21st
Florida: September 25th-27th
Miami: October 16th-18th… pic.twitter.com/HbHtQxwXz3

— Sam Kayser (@KayserHoops) August 27, 2026

The impact a Cy-Hawk win could have

Ben McCollum is undoubtedly leaning into the atmosphere that Kinnick Stadium is going to have on Saturday night. With Iowa and Iowa State set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET for a primetime rivalry game airing on NBC, things will be buzzing.

McCollum can use this to his advantage to show what Iowa City brings to the table in terms of fans, who are sure to follow the basketball program, as there is more buzz and anticipation around the program than in a long time.

Iowa's biggest Cy-Hawk win could come off the field

If Iowa were to be able to excite Cayden Daughtry during this visit, the impact would be hard to describe. We have already seen Ben McCollum's ability to build via the transfer portal, after he took Drake and Iowa to the NCAA Tournament with rosters built largely by transfers.

If McCollum can start stacking up massive wins on the recruiting trail, somewhere he clearly knows what he's doing from past success (thank you, Bennett Stirtz), the Hawkeyes can become a legitimate player in the Big Ten.