Payton Sandfort commits to the Hawkeyes

Waukee forward Payton Sandfort is staying home. The 6-foot-7, 210-pound Sandfort announced his commitment to the Iowa Hawkeyes tonight after considering several scholarship offers from across the country.

"I'm going to Iowa," Sandfort told HawkeyeReport.com. "I've felt good about it for quite a while now, but just kind of let it settle in a little bit. I feel really good about the fit, the playing style, and the culture there. I'm really excited about it."

A three-star prospect, Sandfort earned scholarship offers from Iowa, Stanford, Utah, Minnesota, Drake, Air Force, and Loyola during his recruitment. On Monday, he officially put the process behind him when he made the call to Coach Fran McCaffery and staff.

"It was a Zoom call with the whole staff and my family was all there" Sandfort said. "It was a really special moment. The staff was super excited, which was awesome to see, and of course my family was really excited for me to stay close to home so they can come to my games."

As a junior last year, Sandfort averaged 19.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game for Waukee, shooting 53.7% from the field and 45.3% from three-point range. With his length and ability to shoot from outside, he feels like Iowa will be a great fit for his skill set.

"Fit wise, I think it will just be doing what I do right right now at Waukee, which is get rebounds, shoot the ball, make plays in transition, and guard the one through the five," said Sandfort.

Sandfort is the first commitment in the Class of 2021 for Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery and staff.