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IOWA CITY — The Iowa men's basketball team landed the commitment of 2026 Mr. Iowa Basketball Jaidyn Coon earlier this month.
The 6-foot-6, 180-pound prospect announced his decision on social media on Thursday following a visit to Iowa City earlier this week.
"Thank you Lord for blessing me with an opportunity of a life time," Coon wrote in the post. "I dreamed as a kid playing at the collegiate level. Lastly I wanna thank everyone who has supported me throughout this process! Go Hawks."
Coon is rated a four-star prospect in the 2026 247Sports Industry Composite Rankings, the No. 116 overall player and No. 44 small forward in the class.
He decommitted from Creighton last week following the retirement of Blue Jays head coach Greg McDermott. He also held offers from Illinois, Iowa State, Nebraska, TCU and Drake.
Coon specifically highlighted Iowa's success in year one under head coach Ben McCollum as a reason for his decision to join the Hawkeyes.
“I chose the University of Iowa for several reasons,” Coon said. “I trust Coach McCollum and the direction he’s taking this program. After having multiple conversations with him and learning how I’d fit into their system – how their style of play would help develop me into an even better player – I knew this was what I was looking for and striving toward.
“The culture was incredible during my official visit. The players were down-to-earth and welcoming, and everything felt genuine. After spending time with the coaches, staff and team, I knew I wanted to be a Hawkeye.”
Coon appeared in 21 games (21 starts) during his senior season at Storm Lake and led the Tornadoes in scoring with 22 points and rebounding with 9.3 rebounds per game. He also averaged 3.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 53.2% from the field.
McCollum described Coon as a "good fit" for the program when the Storm Lake native officially signed with the program on Wednesday.
“His athleticism is off the charts, and he’s a valuable defensive player with the ability to guard four positions,” McCollum said. “It’s important for us to keep the top players in state, so we’re extremely excited Jaidyn is a Hawkeye.”
Coon joins four-star power forward Ethan Harris in the Hawkeyes' 2026 high school recruiting class, which now ranks 44th nationally and 13th in the Big Ten.
