It's still my opinion that Skinner is the least likely to sign of the Top 2025 targets -- especially if the reports of Brynn McGaughy being "very impressed" with her visit are true. The order of likelihood below, IMO (not surprisingly, they go from lowest-ranked to highest-ranked):
- Hays (C) -- Her most recent Tweet and her most recent Like are both Iowa related (the Like being a tweet that said "Man does Iowa have a great *DEAL* for you! Come join the fun!") It would also seem that her mother knows where she wants her daughter to go (...or perhaps knows where she is going...) and that is certainly Iowa. I'm sure Layla's aunt, a former Hawkeye herself, is cheering for Iowa too. Layla is supposed to be taking more visits but I haven't seen anything yet. I'm sure she will see her recruiting journey through, but we're obviously in a great place with her.
- Speiser (W) -- AFAIK, Speiser is the last kid Bluder (not Raina, Jensen, or Stamp -- the HC) paid a visit to. She is still very warm to Iowa as well based on social media activity. She's also warm to K-State and Notre Dame (the latter of which is having a great season). However, since Deal just signed, we need her less than we need the others, positionally (but she is still a Top 20 kid -- I don't see how Bluder says "Sorry, we've got enough shooters" to her). I know people expressed disappointment she hasn't been to a game, but I think I read she's been to campus at least 4 times already...so maybe it's not the craziest thing.
- McGaughy (PF) -- Has announced Iowa as a finalist, apparently was very impressed. She might be warmer to Iowa than Speiser actually...but she probably has better offers and of course is from much farther away. Lots of ambiguity about the UConn offer as well, and I think the supposition about Geno's calculus with regard to Sarah Strong is likely spot on. She may also have more offers to come.
- Skinner (PG) -- Has not announced finalists, is apparently still completely up in the air -- and she is the highest ranked of all 4 of these. She clearly isn't done visiting schools and I'd guess she's not done getting offers either. As a true PG, she will have her pick of elite programs. Our 2024 class is PG heavy and so our are our 2026 targets. Could be a concern for her. She also seems like a defensive juggernaut...I could be totally off-base, but I always worry what kids who want to play good D think about fitting in under Bluder.
Wildcards:
Jernigan +
Hines. Both are ranked significantly lower than the 4 above, and both are guards. So it's fair to say they are lower on the priority list. But both have spoken highly of Iowa. Both have us as a finalist and we're certainly among the best offers for both. I'm not sure what Bluder's calculus entails with kids like this....it's kind of unchartered territory for her, I'd guess. Ordinarily they'd be home runs, but she has the opportunity to strike gold if she slow plays them. All the same, she could end up with no further recruits in the Top 100 if she passes on them and things go south.
Most people here have forgotten about
Taliyah Henderson (W) but I haven't forgotten that Iowa took at least 2 (if not 3 -- it was unclear) trips to Arizona to see her and someone reportedly spoke with Raina, who said Iowa "has a seat at the table" with her. Iowa is definitely her top offer. But I'd say she is likely a firmly lower priority considering Deal's commitment and Speiser's continued interest.
