Today is National Signing Day for men's and women's college basketball and while National Signing Day may not hold quite the same cachet in the transfer portal era, it's still a significant day for recruits and the programs to which they officially pledge their futures.

The details have changed -- recruits now sign a written offer of athletics aid rather than a national letter of intent -- but the principle remains the same: prospects formally committing to the programs that they've previously only been tied to by a verbal pledge.

In the first year of the post-Lisa Bluder era, Jan Jansen and the Iowa women's basketball program officially signed three prospects on Wednesday, including Addison Deal, the biggest get for the program since Caitlin Clark signed with Iowa from Dowling Catholic. Let's break down Deal and the other two commits in Iowa's 2025 class.

The crown jewel of Iowa's 2025 recruiting class, Deal is is the biggest get for Iowa since Caitlin Clark came to Iowa back in 2020. Deal, who attends prep powerhouse Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, committed to Iowa back in March of this year -- as Clarkamania was riding high.

While Deal committed to an Iowa program under Lisa Bluder's leadership, she remained firmly committed to the Hawkeyes during the program's transition from Bluder to new head coach Jan Jensen. Jensen's heavy involvement in Deal's recruitment helped make that an easy decision for Deal.

Deal, a 6'0" guard ranked the 18th best prospect in the class by ESPN/HoopGurlz and the 8th best prospect by Prospects Nation, is ideally equipped to take on the scoring, playmaking, and leadership roles from current star guard Lucy Olsen that she took on from Clark. The Orange County player of the year as a sophomore in 2022-23, Deal's junior season was cut short of by a severe ankle sprain that kept her out of action for several months.

A combo guard with strong scoring chops as well as accurate passing skills and good rebounding instincts, Deal possesses a versatile skill set that should make her a top player in Iowa City from day one. Coaches and teammates also rave about Deal's motor and determination; when the most talented player is also the hardest worker, those are conditions that can produce greatness.

“Addie is one of the nation’s premier point guards and off guards – she can play either," said Jan Jansen in Iowa's signing day release. "She has an extremely high IQ, and she is extremely talented. One thing that I’ll always be thankful for with Addie and Journey is that they held their commitments.”

Deal raved about her visit to Iowa last month, a visit that also included fellow '25 commits Houston and Hays, as well as some key '26 targets, including elite wing McKenna Woliczko (#6 overall in ESPN's 2026 rankings). Deal selected Iowa over offers from USC, UCLA, Stanford, LSU, Ohio State, and more.

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The first commitment in Iowa's 2025 class, Journey Houston verbally committed to Iowa over a year ago, in August of 2023. While Iowa's other 2025 commits are coming from several thousand miles away, Houston will be coming to Iowa City from just down the road in Davenport. Houston has starred at Davenport North for the last four years, as well as on the All-Iowa Attack AAU team, the same powerhouse AAU program that featured the likes of Caitlin Clark, Hannah Stuelke, Taylor McCabe, Sydney Affolter, and Kylie Feuerbach (among others) in recent years.

Houston, a 5'11" guard, is ranked the 85th best prospect in 2025 by ESPN/HoopGurlz and the 31st best prospect by Prospect Nation. Like Deal, Houston's junior year was derailed by a season-ending injury. Houston averaged 20.9 ppg and 10.6 rpg as a freshman and 18.8 ppg and 9.4 rpg as a sophomore; she accumulated over 1000 points and 500 rebounds in her first two and a half seasons at Davenport North.

“Journey is a hard-working, high-motor kid who just makes everything she is a part of better," said Jensen. "Unfortunately, she had a knee injury, so she missed the last part of her junior season and the AAU season, but she’s coming back stronger than ever, and we are excited for her to join our team.”

Houston's size, quickness, and shooting touch should make her formidable option at the next level. She committed to Iowa over offers from Iowa State, Michigan, and DePaul.

The third and final member of Iowa's 2025 class to date is also the most recent commit. Layla Hays committed to Iowa almost exactly a month ago, back on October 12. Hays was a member of a star-packed official visit crew that weekend that included Deal, Houston, top '26 recruit McKenna Woliczko, and '25 international prospect Manuella Alves. The vibes with Deal & Co. were obviously good, as Hays gave her commitment to Jensen and the Iowa coaching staff during the visit.

Few incoming recruits will travel as far as Hays -- the 6'5" post player is coming to Iowa from Wasilla, Alaska. Hays, the top prospect in Alaska and two-time Alaska Player of the Year, averaged 16.2 ppg, 11.9 rpg, an 2.0 blocks per game while leading Wasilla to a state championship a year ago.

Hays is ranked the 70th best prospect in the class of 2025 by ESPN/HoopGurlz and the 51st best prospect in the class by Prospect Nation. The addition of a player with Hays' size and raw talent to a program with a stellar history of developing post players is a tantalizing prospect for the Iowa program.

Jan Jensen is justly lauded as a "post whisperer" for her efforts in developing Megan Gustafson into a National Player of the Year and Monika Czinano into a multi-time All-Big Ten honoree. Now she'll have a chance to mold Hays into the latest star post for the Hawkeyes.

“Layla is just a tremendous post player that just about everyone in the country has taken notice of, and we are so fortunate to get her," said Jensen. "She’s versatile in how she can run, how she can score at the block, and I think she’s just scratching the tip of the iceberg. She’s also a tremendous young woman, and we are beyond pumped to have her.”

Hays chose Iowa over offers from Illinois, Indiana, and Nebraska, among others.

Deal, Houston, and Hays look to provide a very solid-looking foundation for the Iowa women's basketball program as it attempts to build on the success of the Caitlin Clark era. ESPN did not put the class inside the overall top 10 for 2025, but had it among those in the "also considered" category just outside the top 10. With Iowa in pursuit of several star players in 2026 (including Woliczko, Jenica Lewis, and Maddyn Greenway, among others), the 2025 recruiting class may be the start of something big for the Hawkeye women as they begin the program's post-Caitlin Clark era.