This gets used WAY too often and it simply is NOT true. Compared to PSU, they are way behind, but that is only because PSU recruits so much better than any team should realistically expect.
Iowa currently has Ferrari and Kueter, who were both top 1-2 lb4lb in their respective classes. Ayala, Kennedy and Arnold were all Top 5 lb4lb in their classes. So that is FIVE top 5's, so far. Ryder Block was #22 lb4lb in '23. DeLuca was #9, Ludington top 15 and Mocco currently sits 13th.
After that, they added Caliendo for 3 years and he has scored 33 NCAA points so far, with 1 year left. They also brought in Bailey with 3 years left to wrestle 2 seasons, having already AA'd. Peterson has proven to be a very solid stop gap to let DeLuca redshirt.
After all that they currently have the #3, 5, 14, 24 and 34 in the class of '27, with a lot of moving around left to be done. As of now, the class of 2028 nets them the #3 and #5.
On top of that they had Bassett, but decided the juice wasn't worth the squeeze.
Now, they don't seem to land the SUPER ELITE, other than Spencer, when there seems to be 1 or 2 per year over the past 10 years or so, like PSU seems to and OkState looks to have done this year with Forrest. But, it simply is NOT true that they don't recruit VERY well.
If anything, their biggest knock is that they simply DO NOT get all their guys to March healthy and most of them are very beat up by their senior years. This especially sucks as PSU's top guys almost always have their best seasons as seniors...