Combs took some time to adjust to the Big Ten, but ultimately became a mainstay in Iowa's starting lineup.
When Ben McCollum was named Iowa's new head men's basketball coach in March of 2025, he made the then-questionable decision (at least among fans) to bring the majority of his record-setting Drake squad to Iowa City.
No one questioned McCollum's decision to take Bennett Stirtz with him to the Hawkeyes, but the rest of the Bulldog roster was unknown. Yes, they won 31 games and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament, but the step-up to the Big Ten level is a difficult one.
Hindsight is 20/20, but it's safe to say that McCollum and his Drake guys played pretty good basketball last year. The Hawkeyes made an unexpected run to the Elite Eight (their first trip in 39 years), while re-energizing Iowa's passion for men's basketball along the way.
Stirtz obviously played a big role in that, but Iowa's role players (most of them were his former teammates at Drake) also played pivotal roles, too.
We've already released Isaia Howard's grade, so it's time to release another Bulldog-turned-Hawkeye's grade - Kael Combs.
Combs has already confirmed his return to the Hawkeyes for the 2026-27 season, so without further adieu, here's his 2025-26 season grade:
The rundown
Combs began the season on the bench, but was quickly elevated to a starting role in order to take some of the weight off of Stirtz's shoulders. Combs filled his role as a distributor and capable defender well, but the scoring that is required from a starting guard never materialized - except for two Big Ten road games.
Combs scored 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting in a narrow loss against Purdue on Jan. 14, but it took until the regular season finale against rival Nebraska on March 3 for him to duplicate that performance. Combs netted 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting against the Huskers, including the game-tying triple in the waning seconds of regulation. The Hawkeyes again lost that game, but it again showed Combs' offensive potential.
That's what this grade comes down to. When Combs showed that he wanted to score, he did, but what I saw from him this year was a guard focusing on distributing the basketball and running the offense. That worked well for a Stirtz-focused offense, but Iowa will need a more balanced scoring attack to even come close to replacing Stirtz's scoring production next season.
Combs is more than capable of becoming a capable scorer, McCollum just needs to flush that out of him. 6.1 points per game isn't bad for a second guard, but if Combs can increase is total to around 10 points a contest in 2027, the Hawkeyes will be in good shape because of Combs passing and defensive abilities.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Combs take a step forward next season, but until the offense gets consistent, his potential will be halted.
Grade: C+
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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at bradschultz@roundtable.io