Hawkeye Beacon can confirm that Iowa freshman forward Cooper Koch has received approval for his medical redshirt. After playing just ten games during his true freshman season due to complications involving a collapsed lung, the Peoria, Illinois native has been granted an extra year of eligibility. He'll have four years of eligibility remaining.
Prior to being forced to sit out, the 6'8" forward scored 4.6 points and added 2.1 rebounds in 13.6 minutes per game.
Koch, who opted to stay at Iowa rather than transferring elsewhere, would have likely been a key fixture in the rotation this season, had he been healthy.
"It's not been easy for him," Fran McCaffery said at the time. "I really feel for him because he's a wonderful kid and a really good player. We could really use him. He desperately wants to be out there. But we're on top of his health situation, which is the most important thing."
Prior to the season, hopes were high for the former four-star recruit to not only contribute, but be an important part of Iowa's efforts to return to the NCAA Tournament. Coming out of Metamora High School, Koch was known as one of the top shooters in the 2024 recruiting class.
"A lot of times when guys are great shooters, that's what they're called. He's a shooter," McCaffery said. "I remember I went to see him out west, and he had eight threes in a row, that kind of thing. You remember, he is 6'8", so he can score inside. He does offensive rebound. He can post up. So he is a three-level scorer."
A four-star prospect out of high school, Koch was well-known as one of the top shooters in the country in the class of 2024. Bringing him back to Iowa was a major win by McCollum in itself and adding extra eligibility is another boost to Koch's career and McCollum's plans for the future.
