The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team has been on fire on the recruiting trail in recent weeks, putting together one of the top-ranked recruiting classes in the country.

T.J. Otzelberger has three players who have committed to the program in the Class of 2027. First, it was Josiah Harrington, who committed in September 2024 and has not wavered. Next, it was Donovan Davis, who committed on May 6, and then Jack Kohnen, who committed on June 13.

Those are three high-upside players who are all four-star recruits ranked inside the top 100 in the Class of 2027. Recently, 247Sports updated its player rankings, and all three Iowa State commits saw their rankings change.

Davis is no longer the highest-ranked player in the Cyclones class. He was previously ranked No. 44 but slipped slightly to No. 47. Securing his commitment was an impressive feat because the lead recruiter, JR Blount, accepted the head coaching position with the San Diego Toreros in the middle of it.

Iowa State commits see rankings change

Alas, that didn’t stop Otzelberger from sealing the deal. He was involved in the recruitment along with Nate Schmidt and Thomas Pollard. New assistant coaches Tim Buckley and Allan Hanson helped get things over the finish line as well.

The highest-ranked recruit in this class for the Cyclones is now Harrington. He was No. 48 previously and has moved up to No. 43. The in-state recruit has been performing at a high level for Brad Beal Elite in the Nike EYBL this year.

A product of North Scott, he is making a great impression with his defensive impact in the Nike EYBL. When playing with his high school team, he showcases incredible offensive ability, capable of scoring at all three levels.

Jack Kohnen sees biggest jump in rankings

Last but not least is Kohnen, who experienced the biggest jump in the rankings. He was ranked No. 81 previously but jumped all the way to No. 64 in the latest update. An elite shooter, Kohnen has an advanced offensive game.

He is an excellent spot-up shooter but has some great shotmaking ability in his game off the dribble as well. His playmaking is what makes his game so intriguing on that end of the floor because he operates as the point guard on his high school team at Slinger.

With a game developed well beyond his years, Kohnen has some real upside as an offensive hub. He has the size to see over defenses and advanced reads that make him very difficult to gameplan against.

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An Iowa TV anchor choked up on air as he quit his job, and announced he was leaving journalism – before blasting his station for spewing “saturated” news that makes local viewers “uncomfortable.”

Dustin Nolan, morning anchor for NBC-affiliate KWQC-TV 6 in Davenport, delivered the dramatic on-air resignation Friday, repeatedly pausing while fighting back tears before issuing a stinging rebuke of the news station.

“I have chosen to step away from the news industry,” said Nolan, who has worked at KWQC since 2022.

“Before I say goodbye, I just want to say, I hope every one of you that’s allowed me to be a part of your mornings just how important that I have taken this job, how much it means to me that you’ve trusted me these past few years to bring you the news in the morning.”

The distraught broadcaster stressed that he has “given everything” to serving up transparent, fact-driven news coverage to the Quad Cities, calling it a “public service.”

Nolan said all he has ever wanted was to report on the “issues that really matter.”

“I’ve always believed that we as a local news station owe you, the viewers, the best that we can do, because without you, none of us would be able to do this job,” Nolan added.

“I also believe that we, as a local news station, have to be more than trends or sanitized news, because it makes people feel uncomfortable,” he continued.

“That’s why the facts matter, and that’s why we do what we do here. We have to take people out of their bubbles and comfort zones and make them think about the world we all live in.”

The tearful anchor went on to praise his co-anchor — his wife Jenna — as the “greatest co-anchor in life.”

Nolan has worked at the Gray Media-owned station since November 2022, according to his LinkedIn.

After graduating from Catholic St. Ambrose University in Iowa, he began his career reporting sports in Wyoming for seven months before moving to Illinois, where he worked as a sports reporter at WQAD for nearly two years.

He later rose to a morning news anchor role at WFBF in Illinois, where he spent three years before joining KWQC.

Coming off a great campaign, the Iowa State Cyclones will be a different-looking team on the hardwood next year. Unfortunately, a lot of key players for the team last season will no longer be around. 

After a successful trip to the Sweet 16, the Cyclones will be entering next season with a mostly new group. Due to players like Joshua Jefferson, Nate Heise, and Tamin Lipsey all graduating, the team was always going to have a different look. 

While it appears likely that both Lipsey and Jefferson are going to be drafted into the NBA, it goes to show the level of talent that Iowa State is losing. These two players were arguably the two best on the team last year, and replacing that level of production will not be an easy task. 

Since both of those players were seniors, the program knew that they would be playing elsewhere. However, the decision by Milan Momcilovic, who was their third star to enter the NBA Draft and transfer portal, likely wasn’t something the team expected before his breakout campaign. 

However, due to his success last year, Momcilovic testing the waters of the NBA and entering the portal made a lot of sense for the talented sharpshooter. Eventually, he made the decision to join the Kentucky Wildcats, and losing him will be a big blow for the Cyclones. 

Iowa State Will Miss Star Potential of Milan 

Even though the Cyclones were able to bring in a lot of good players in the transfer portal, figuring out who the star of the team is going to be next year might be a bit tricky. If Milan were to have returned following one of the best shooting years in the history of college basketball, it would have undoubtedly been him as the featured player of the team. 

Now, since Momcilovic is gone, Iowa State is going to need some of their returning players and their new additions to step up. While having quality depth is important, the Cyclones were a team that had arguably three of the top 50 players in college basketball last season. 

With their three best players gone, it will be interesting to see who steps up and becomes the top players for Iowa State. Of the transfers, it could be JaQuan Johnson who looks to step up into that role. He is coming off a really strong year with Bradley and very well could be the top-scoring option for the team. 

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