The Iowa Hawkeyes are undergoing a major rebuild. With their star, Caitlin Clark, transitioning to and cementing her place in the WNBA, and legendary coach Lisa Bluder retiring, there are big shoes to fill. But does that mean they can’t flourish? Absolutely not. Instead, the jolly days are already here for the new head coach, Jan Jensen, who has landed her first recruit for the team, Layla Hays.

As per ESPN, Hays is a 4-star recruit and ranks number 68 in the nation. The 6-foot-4 Center averaged 16.2 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game for Wasilla High School in Alaska. Recruiting her is a big victory for Jan Jensen, who expects the Hawkeyes to initially feel the absence of Caitlin Clark’s ‘rare and special’ abilities.

Hays had 7 other scholarship offers from Nebraska, Gonzaga, Washington, Illinois, Indiana, Duke, and North Carolina. But she never had any doubts about choosing Iowa. “I’ve known for a while now that I was going to commit (to Iowa),” she told The Gazette on Monday. “But since I was granted a second visit (due to Iowa’s recent coaching change), I was going to use it to surprise them.” And surprise them, she did!

Hays casually walked through the university corridors and into a room where a photo shoot was underway. “I’m Home. Go Hawks,” read her plain white tee. Two cameras followed her as she broke the news to an unsuspecting Jan Jensen. “What? What!” exclaimed the coach before euphorically running and leaping into Hays’ arms. “Oh, my god! Oh, my god!” she shouted, jumping in joy, as the excitement grabbed the room full of people.

To Hays, Iowa emitted a family-like aura that drew her in. This is only the beginning of something greater for the Hawkeyes, who might temporarily miss their experienced lot of Clark, Kate Martin, Gabbie Marshall, and more. Though Jensen aims to carry the rich legacy forward, here’s what she has to say about the snags the freshman class might encounter.

Jan Jensen’s bittersweet prediction for Iowa’s post-Caitlin Clark era

During her four-year collegiate career, Clark became the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer among both men and women with 3951 points. To honor her greatness, Iowa retired her No. 22 jersey. Her basketball IQ was off the charts, and her team-first attitude elevated the Hawkeyes. The Carver-Hawkeyes Arena was consistently sold out during their games.

“I think Caitlin is rare and Caitlin is special,” Jan Jensen said on Friday. “But anytime you lose a very senior-heavy class, or maybe I should say experienced class, there’s just a gap for a while. I don’t care how great that freshman class is coming in. There’s no speedy trick for experience. You just have to fall on your face a few times. You have to make a few mistakes.”

The 55-year-old reiterated how Iowa will miss its experienced players, then added, “Caitlin’s ability to empower those around her, to believe in what possibly the others didn’t think possible, that’s what you’ll miss initially.”

Though Jensen has found a great replacement for Clark in Lucy Olsen, change will take time. Nonetheless, Layla Hays’ addition has been warmly welcomed by current and ex-Hawkeyes, and we can’t be anything but excited about what the new team does when Iowa kicks off its 2024-25 season on 6th November against Northern Illinois.