Iowa Football recruiting is receiving a lot of attention lately, and rightfully so. The 11th-ranked Hawkeyes are bringing top prospects to campus and making them feel at home.

The same can be said for Iowa Basketball.

The Hawkeyes’ front porch programs each secured a verbal commitment this week. Ohio senior running back Kaleb Johnson flipped his Cal pledge to Iowa, and Owen Freeman, a junior big man from Illinois, also chose the Black and Gold.

Freeman joined a talented group of prospects on campus for last weekend’s Iowa-Penn State football showdown. He chose the Hawkeyes ahead of reported scholarship offers from Butler, Illinois, Marquette, Michigan State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Purdue, Wake Forest, Wisconsin and others.

Freeman was joined on the Iowa visit by ’24 Hudson (OH) Western Reserve Academy forward Caleb Middleton, ’23 Iowa City (IA) Liberty guard Savion Taylor, ’23 Indianola guard Drew Kingery, ’24 Peoria (IL) Notre Dame forward Cooper Koch and ’23 Shrewsbury (MA) Worcester Academy wing TJ power. Dasonte Bowen and Josh Dix, verbal commits for the Hawkeyes in ’22, also visited.

Power, Koch and Middleton report scholarship offers.

“The most obvious thing that stood out to me was the dedication of the fan base,” said Power, who also claims offers from Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Miami, Oklahoma, Penn State, Wake Forest, Xavier and others. “After seeing the football game, it was clear how much support the athletes at Iowa have and that is definitely going to be a factor in my decision.”

Iowa coach Fran McCaffery identified Power (6-8, 210) early in the recruiting process and offered a scholarship in August of ’20. The New England wing enjoyed their time together on campus.

“Coach McCaffery was great all weekend and was super focused in practice and in our individual meeting. He described how my playing style would fit perfect in what he has had success with in the past. It’s a great place for a bigger guard like myself to play with ultimate confidence,” Power said.

Kingery (6-4, 190) reports an offer from North Dakota. He’s receiving interest from Iowa, Iowa State and Northern Iowa, among others. He’s coming off a sophomore season that saw him average 18.0 points and 5.1 rebounds.

“The biggest thing that stood out to me was the atmosphere,” Kingery told HF. “The football game was electric and the fans were crazy. Coach McCaffery talked to me about the program and the standard he holds his players to. He said he likes my style of play and will keep watching me as I progress through the season.”

Dix and Bowen, who are expected to sign national letters of intent in November, enjoyed having another chance to bond with future teammates and coaches as well as soak up the environment.

“What stood out to me would definitely be the football game,” Bowen said. “That atmosphere was crazy. I also enjoyed the relationship I’m beginning to build with the team.

“Coach McCaffrey has stuck with what he’s been telling me from the jump. He’s as excited as I am for me to get up there next year.”

Said Dix: “I just loved the atmosphere of the football game. The fans were great. Also seeing (the basketball team) practice was good and then hanging out with the guys some more was cool.”

This weekend, Iowa welcomed a group of prospects that included four-star ’23 Bixby (OK) High guard Parker Friedrichsen, who also reports offers from Creighton, Drake, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Purdue, Virginia Tech and others. Current Hawkeyes’ Keegan Murray and Payton Sandfort served as his hosts.

“It was a great visit,” Friedrichsen said. “Coach McCaffery sees me fitting in how they play in transition and super fast, and thinks thats one of my key strengths. He thinks I can help them win in a big-time conference.

“What stood out to me is how I got along with all the players. It made it a really fun weekend.”

Sandfort’s younger brother, Pryce Sandfort, visited this weekend and picked up an Iowa offer. The 6-foot-6, 165-pound Waukee (IA) Northwest four-star wing previously had been offered by Drake.

Matas Buzelis, a four-star ’23 Wolfeboro (NH) Brewster Academy forward, stopped at Iowa this weekend. In addition to the Hawkeyes, he claimed offers from Arizona, UConn, Florida, Florida State, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Purdue, Syracuse, UCLA, Wake Forest and others.

Four-Star Indianapolis (IN) Cathedral ’23 forward Xavier Booker (6-10, 215) stopped at Iowa this weekend. He also reported offers from Illinois, Indiana, Kansas State, LSU, Louisville, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Purdue, TCU, Xavier and others.

Boden Kapke, a ’23 forward from Victoria (MN) Holy Family Catholic, saw the Hawkeyes up close on Saturday. The 6-foot-10, 230-pounder reported an offer from Minnesota and interest from Davidson, Iowa State, Loyola and Xavier.

Dubuque (IA) Hempstead senior big man Cameron Fens (6-9, 215) traveled south for a campus stop.