Greg Gard was flying high after swooping into Minnesota and grabbing a 7-foot big man. Taking him away from his home state, the Golden Gophers. That high was short-lived as 4-star and top-100 player Jack Kohnen announced he's headed to Iowa State. The commitment of Kohnen is another reminder that Iowa State has a tendency to take the best players out of Wisconsin and make them Cyclones. This has now happened twice in this recruiting class.
While it's fun for Wisconsin fans to see Gard take Minnesota players, it's a very bitter taste in the mouths of the same fans to watch Iowa State steal Wisconsin players. Kohnen really never even considered Wisconsin all that highly, and that may have been the real problem.
However, there is a silver-lining in it all, even if pessimistic fans don't want to see it.
NEWS: 4⭐️ Jack Kohnen, the No. 31 overall recruit in the 2027 class, has committed to Iowa State, he tells @Rivals.
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) June 13, 2026
The 6-6 small forward ultimately picked the Cyclones after also considering Nebraska and Iowa.
Read: https://t.co/FGZ58QPhDe pic.twitter.com/1vWybao1PE
4-star Jack Kohnen commits to the Iowa State Cyclones over Wisconsin
Related: Wisconsin basketball strikes again, landing second commit in the '27 class
Kohnen really didn't have Wisconsin up high on his list in the end, and the main frustration comes not from his final commitment, which felt enviable, but instead the reminder of in-state kids leaving for Iowa State. Year after year, it's become a common problem, and many fans continue to point to that as a problem with Greg Gard. And truly, they aren't wrong. Recruiting in-state is a big need, especially with the hoops talent that continues to come out of Wisconsin year after year.
Kohnen's final choices seemed to have come down to Nebraska, Iowa, and Iowa State, with many thinking that it came down to the two Iowa schools. Iowa State was the favorite for a long time as Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger continues to recruit Wisconsin well. It's his second addition to the 2027 class from Wisconsin. Kohnen joins fellow in-state recruit, Donovan Davis.
Iowa State now has the No. 1 recruiting class for 2027 thanks to these two Wisconsin players and 4-star Josiah Harrington. It's an impressive class and a frustrating one to read for Wisconsin fans. However, there is a slight silver lining, and it's that Wisconsin hasn't missed entirely on this deep in-state class.
Read also: 4-star Jalen Brown's NBPA camp performance will have Wisconsin fans thrilled
Wisconsin and Greg Gard have landed the highest-rated player they've had in the Greg Gard era in 4-star Jalen Brown. There are some even saying that Brown is a better prospect than either, but especially Kohnen. However, we won't know until things start to shake out in the college game.
Brown is an excellent addition and has become a high priority for the Badgers. In fact, it seems as if Gard pushed the hardest for Brown. It's hard to know for certain, but it appears as if Brown was the main in-state recruit that Gard wanted.
Since we had one positive, silver lining, let's end with another negative. Kohnen has a younger brother in the 2028 class, and it's now hard to see Gard bringing either Kohnen into Madison. Iowa State starts the recruitment of 4-star Joey Kohnen in the driver's seat.
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