Iowa State has had some amazing recruiting wins in the past, but I wanted to focus on the negatives. What are Iowa State’s biggest misses in recruiting, whether that be someone they almost got, someone nearby with close connections, or something else?
Clark: University of Iowa
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is no question in the argument for the best athlete to come out of the state of Iowa in the last decade and has been the backbone in a recent boom in women’s sports numbers.
Clark is from West Des Moines, Iowa and attended Dowling Catholic High School. Out of high school, Clark was a five-star recruit ranked fourth in the nation.
Clark was approached and offered by Iowa State alongside Texas, Oregon, Oregon State, Duke, Florida and Notre Dame, where she committed to for a brief period of time but decommitted and decided to take her talents to Iowa City and join the Hawkeyes.
Clark’s time with the Hawkeyes became historic. Clark went on to average 31.4 points per game across 34.9 minutes per game in her final season with the Hawkeyes in 2024.
In the 2024 WNBA draft, Clark was selected first overall by the Indiana Fever. She became the highest drafted Hawkeye ever, taking the spot from Toni Foster, who was drafted eighth overall in the 1997 WNBA draft.
Clark averaged 19.2 points in her rookie season and won the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year Award over Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky.
In 2025, she had her sophomore slump and only averaged 16.5 points per game through only 13 games as she suffered a right groin injury that ended her season.
Burrow: Ohio State, Louisiana State
Current Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow grew up in Athens, Ohio, and attended Athens High School. Iowa State was one of five power conference schools to offer the quarterback; other schools include Maryland, NC State, West Virginia and, where he would eventually commit, Ohio State.
The part where Iowa State might have dropped the ball is Burrow’s ties to Ames.
Burrow was born in Ames, and his father, Jim Burrow, was a part of the Iowa State football coaching staff from 1987 to 1994 as the secondary coach and co-defensive coordinator.
When Burrow transferred away from Ohio State in 2018, there were rumors as well that he was considering going back to Ames and joining the Cyclones, but that came short, just like his high school recruiting when he would join the LSU Tigers.
For him that seemed the be the correct choice, teaming up with Justin Jefferson and Ja’marr Chase; the Tigers went a perfect 15-0 and won the 2019 national championship.
Burrow was selected first by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2020 NFL draft and got to team up with his college teammate Chase.
In 2022, Burrow found himself in the Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium versus the Los Angeles Rams. The Bengals just came up short, losing 23-20. Burrow hasn’t found himself in a Super Bowl since then.
Barnes: University of North Carolina & McDermott: Creighton University
Current San Antonio Spurs power forward Harrison Barnes and Sacramento Kings forward Doug McDermott both grew up in Ames, Iowa, and both attended Ames High School.
They led the Ames High School Little Cyclones to back-to-back Iowa State championships, but unfortunately, Iowa State basketball’s recruiting team couldn’t keep the talent in Ames.
Barnes was recruited by Iowa State as well as multiple college basketball powerhouses, including Duke, Kansas, Oklahoma, UCLA and North Carolina, where he would end up playing.
On the other hand, McDermott was not recruited by Iowa State or by any major programs. Creighton, where McDermott ended up playing, was by far his best offer; his only other notable offers were North and South Dakota, Northern Iowa and University at Albany.
Barnes only played two years in college and averaged 16.3 points per game at Chapel Hill. He was eventually drafted by the Golden State Warriors with the seventh pick of the 2012 NBA draft.
Barnes’ time with the Warriors spanned from 2012-2016, meaning he was a part of two NBA Finals, one of which he won.
The next season, he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks, where he had his best individual season by points, averaging 19.2 points per game.
In the midst of the 2018-19 season, Barnes was traded to the Sacramento Kings, where he was until 2024. He was then traded to the San Antonio Spurs, where he has been to this day.
McDermott’s time was a little different, spending four total years with the Creighton Bluejays. His senior season was impressive, averaging 26.7 points per game with the Bluejays’ first season in the Big East.
After his senior season, McDermott was drafted eleventh in the 2014 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets but was traded on draft night to the Chicago Bulls.
His rookie season was a struggle, averaging only three points per game, but in his sophomore season, his points average tripled by averaging 9.4 ppg.
In the 2016-17 season, McDermott was traded to the Thunder and in the 2017-18 season, he signed with the Knicks and he was once again traded midseason to the Mavericks.
From 2018 to 2021, McDermott was on the Pacers, where in his 2020-21 season, he peaked and averaged 13.6 points per game. He was then on the Spurs from 2021-2024, where he was traded back to the Pacers.
McDermott’s journeyman-style career continued this season as he signed with the Sacramento Kings, where he currently averages 3.5 points per game.
This Ames duo has gone down in NBA history, and the story of them being on the same high school team will always stay with them. Iowa State not being able to come through on recruiting two future NBA legends that were in their backyard was a clear and obvious failure.
