Normally I would agree with you if Iowa was coming off a NCAA Tournament bid, not a NIT bid with 2 previous 20 loss seasons before last season. There are no guarantees that any of these incoming freshman are not whiffs or some of the existing scholarship players on the roster.
Again, if I am Fran I need something a little more than a hope of a home run. If you give me the choice of a home run or bust player versus someone that you know will contribute and be a good player for 4 years I am taking the safe choice. Just because Fran made the NIT last season he is not out of the woods just yet, get Iowa back to the NCAA then you can think about taking chances. If Fran feels Jok is healthy and will give the team the best chance to win then give him the scholarship.
Fran swung for the fence with Hubbard and struck out, he swung for the fence taking a chance on Olaseni, and he took a chance on Aaron White. So far, unless Olaseni shows major improvement, I have him down as 1 out of 3. IMO for the 2012 class only Gesell and Woodbury were safe choices. None of us know for sure if Meyer, Clemmons, or Ingram can play effectively in the B1G.