Jaidyn Coon officially signs with Iowa basketball

Just a few weeks after landing a verbal commitment from the 2026 Iowa Mr. Basketball, the Hawkeyes have now made it official.

On Wednesday, Iowa basketball posted to social media that Jaidyn Coon has now signed with the program, making a highly-anticipated move official. With this signing, Ben McCollum has landed an elite prospect to add to a young, intriguing 2026-27 roster.

Coon was originally committed to Creighton, but decommitted following the announcement that longtime Blue Jays head coach Greg McDermott was retiring. The Storm Lake, Iowa, native decided to stay in-state and buy into the program that McCollum is building, verbally committing to Iowa on April 2. He's the 49th-best small forward in the 2026 class and the third-best player in the state of Iowa, according to 247Sports.

The 6-foot-6, 180-pound wing had offers from Iowa State, Illinois, and Nebraska as well, making it an even bigger win for McCollum and the program. With Bennett Stirtz off to the NBA and Tavion Banks potentially not getting a fifth-year waiver, there's going to be plenty of important minutes to go around. While Coon will have to earn those minutes over other talented options, it's not crazy to think that he could have a huge impact on next year's Hawks.

McCollum is building something special in Iowa City, and Coon is one of the first to buy into it. It looks like he could do a lot of winning in the black and gold before his collegiate career is done.

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