Iowa’s Top Basketball Recruit Makes Shocking Commitment to Rival Big Ten Powerhouse

The 2027 recruiting landscape for Iowa basketball just took an unexpected twist — and it’s not the kind Hawkeyes fans were hoping for. Chase Branham, a highly touted four-star point guard from Rogersville, Missouri, has thrown his hat in with Indiana, turning away from Iowa and several other big-name programs like Creighton, Kansas State, and Tennessee. This stings especially hard because landing Branham would’ve been a cornerstone move for Iowa’s 2027 class, a signal boost to attract other elite prospects. Ranked as one of the nation’s premier players by both 247Sports and Rivals, Branham’s commitment to the Hoosiers shakes up the Big Ten recruiting battlefield significantly. Meanwhile, Iowa’s recruiting efforts continue, with the recent pledge of four-star power forward Ethan Harris from Camas High School offering a glimmer of hope amid the shifts. It’s these kinds of recruitment dramas that make college hoops so riveting — one player’s decision can ripple across programs and reshape futures. LEARN MORE

One of Iowa basketball’s top recruiting targets in the 2027 cycle is instead headed to a fellow Big Ten program.

Four-star point guard Chase Branham announced his commitment to Indiana on Saturday evening. Branham chose Indiana over Iowa and schools such as Creighton, Kansas State, Missouri, Purdue and Tennessee.

It’s a tough recruiting blow for an Iowa program that was hoping it could land Branham and then sell the Rogersville, Mo., product’s pledge to Iowa as part of its recruiting pitch to other top 2027 prospects.

Branham is ranked as a four-star commit to the Hoosiers by both 247Sports and Rivals. Per 247Sports, Branham is the nation’s 33rd player nationally, the No. 8 point guard and the No. 2 player in the state of Missouri. Rivals ranks Branham as the nation’s No. 42 player overall, as its No. 12 shooting guard and as the No. 4 player from the Show-Me State.

Iowa is still without a commit in the 2027 class, though the Hawkeyes did just add their first commitment in the 2026 cycle recently.

Four-star power forward Ethan Harris announced his commitment to Ben McCollum and the Iowa Hawkeyes last week.

The 6-foot-9, 200-pound power forward attends Camas High School in Washington. Harris is ranked as the No. 1 player in the state of Washington, as the No. 16 power forward in the class and as the No. 94 player nationally per the 247Sports composite rankings.

As a junior at Camas last season, Harris averaged 18.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 3 assists per game en route to being named the All-Region Boys Basketball Player of the Year. Harris also played for Select Basketball this past summer, averaging 10.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 38% from 3-point range.

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