The Cy-Hawk football game is always a big recruiting weekend for Kirk Ferentz's program. This year, it isn't just the football program that's welcoming some big-name recruits to Iowa City for the game. Ben McCollum and the men's basketball program will be doing the same.
Since McCollum took the head coaching job at Iowa 18 months ago, he's done a fantastic job recruiting. Whether it's the high school level or the transfer portal, the Hawkeyes have seen a massive influx of talent in the last year-plus.
McCollum and the Hawkeyes are hosting a pair of elite, program-changing prospects this weekend. Five-star point guard Cayden Daughtry and four-star small forward Cole Kelly will be at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday night on visits.
5⭐️ Cayden Daughtry
is currently on his official visit to Iowa, source told @Rivals. The 6-foot point guard is the No. 6 overall recruit in the 2027 class, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings. https://t.co/a9TcFI3ojg https://t.co/Qa3hh50Kpv pic.twitter.com/Wnsw82cZhe
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) September 11, 2026
Daughtry is the big fish that every blue-blood program is chasing right now. He's the third-best prospect in the entire 2027 recruiting class, according to 247Sports. The 6-foot guard from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, lit up Nike's Peach Jam this summer and would be a massive get for McCollum.
Daughtry visited Florida State two weeks ago and Tennessee last Saturday. He's set to visit Florida, Miami, and Arkansas over the next few months. Daughtry trimmed his list of schools to 14 on Aug. 26, but it seems like UConn has been removed from that list. On3's Joe Tipton reported that Daughtry will no longer visit UConn after the Huskies added the commitment from NaVorro Bowman Jr.
Kelly is a fast-riser in the 2028 recruiting class. The 6-foot-6 wing is listed as the 34th-best prospect in the 2028 class, according to 247Sports. A native of Naperville, Ill., Kelly visited Purdue over the summer. Other Big Ten schools such as Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, and Ohio State have made offers. This is a big opportunity for McCollum to make his pitch.
Source: Cole Kelly, the No. 34 overall prospect in the class of 2028, has scheduled unofficial visits to Iowa, Ohio State, Nebraska, Indiana and Wisconsin.
— Dushawn London (@DushawnLondon1) September 3, 2026
Story. https://t.co/6DmdOsOOUE pic.twitter.com/qgtNLwpL13
Joining those two in attendance will be Keller Daugherty. The four-star 2027 forward committed to Iowa back in June and will help McCollum try to land Daughtry and Kelly.
McCollum has racked up a lot of victories on and off the court in his short tenure in Iowa City so far. He'll look to win a few more battles this weekend.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa basketball hosting Cayden Daughtry, Cole Kelly on key visits
