Iowa Hawkeyes Shockingly Steal Top Recruit from UConn Huskies

The Iowa Hawkeyes are not accustomed to landing top recruits in their basketball program, but that may be changing with Ben McCollum in town. And you know what? The UConn Huskies just experienced that first hand.

Iowa has landed a commitment from four-star forward Trey Thompson, who just reclassified to the 2025 recruiting class and will play for the Hawkeyes during the 2025-26 campaign, via Sean Bock of 247 Sports.

Thompson chose the Hawkeyes over UConn and several other big-name schools such as Kansas, Purdue, Tennessee, Indiana and Alabama in an absolute stunner.

The 6-foot-8 Thompson, a Greeneville, Tn. native, is the 21st-ranked power forward in the country and the fourth-ranked player in the state of Tennessee. He had initially been a class of 2026 prospect.

Thompson said that it was Iowa's coaching staff that separated the schools from others, which definitely reflects well on McCollum heading into his debut season at Iowa City.

Thompson represents the fourth member of the Hawkeyes' 2025 recruiting class and is the 14th member of the current roster.

McCollum definitely had his work cut out for him after taking over the Iowa job back in late March, as almost the entire team defected via the transfer portal following the firing of Fran McCaffery. Not only that, but all of the Hawkeyes' recruits decommitted, essentially leaving McCollum with a blank slate.

Iowa went just 17-16 this past year, going 7-13 in Big Ten conference play. It has missed the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back campaigns after qualifying for three straight seasons.

McCollum coached Drake last year, leading the Bulldogs to a 31-4 record and a first-round victory in the Big Dance.

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