IOWA CITY — A big recruiting weekend for the Iowa women's basketball team is already paying dividends.
Layla Hays, a 6'5" center from Wasilla, Alaska, has announced her commitment to the 2025 Hawkeye recruiting class. ESPN's #68 prospect in the 2025 class, Hays was also considering offers from Big Ten rivals includinng Illinois, Indiana and Nebraska in her Final 8, along with a bevy of other high-major programs.
Hays is the third commit of the 2025 class, and the first recruiting commit for Jan Jensen since taking over as head coach during the offseason.
Hays is on campus taking her official visit on a critical recruiting weekend, along with fellow 2025 commits Addie Deal and Journey Houston. Two other uncommitted prospects visiting are 2026 star wing McKenna Woliczko (#6 in ESPN's rankings) and 2025 forward Manuella Alves, a 6'3" prospect from Florida who plays on the Brazilian under-19 national team.
READ MORE: 2025 Top-5 Recruit Addison Deal Commits to Iowa
READ MORE: COMMIT: Iowa WBB Adds Top 20 Recruit Journey Houston
EVALUATION
The obvious comp for Hays is Megan Gustafson, as Hays has an advanced game around the rim and uses her size, strength and footwork to generate open looks at the basket. Of course, Gustafson honed her skills to AP Player of the Year status, and that would be an impossible standard of success for any prospect of any caliber, but the archetype is evident.
Pairing Hays with freshman center Ava Heiden, currently projected to start for the Hawkeyes this season, also gives the Hawkeyes options for attacking matchups at the 5, and even conceivably to go big against twin-tower lineups without having to move star forward Hannah Stuelke back into the paint.
