Welcome to “Big Ten offseason at a glance,” a team-by-team look at the conference at the start of the summer. We’ll examine roster movement for each Big Ten roster and give an early outlook for each Big Ten program for the 2025-26 season.
Previously: Rutgers, Penn State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Washington, Oregon, Nebraska, Maryland
Today: Iowa (17-16 overall in 2024-25, 7-13 in Big Ten play)
After 15 seasons in Iowa City, Fran McCaffery’s tenure with Iowa ended rather ingloriously but in keeping with his brand, as he received technical fouls and was ejected in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals and his team allowed over 100 points. Now, Ben McCollum ushers in a new era of Hawkeye hoops.
Iowa’s roster movement
Players returning with eligibility: Cooper Koch
Players departing due to exhausted eligibility: Payton Sandfort, Drew Thelwell, Even Brauns
Players departing via transfer portal: Owen Freeman (to Creighton), Josh Dix (to Creighton), Pryce Sandfort (to Nebraska), Brock Harding (to TCU), Seydou Traore (to Utah), Ladji Dembele (to UNLV), Chris Tadjo (to Santa Clara), Isaiah Johnson-Arigu (to St. Thomas), Riley Mulvey (to Siena)
Players arriving via transfer portal: Bennett Stirtz (from Drake), Isaia Howard (from Drake), Kael Combs (from Drake), Cam Manyawu (from Drake), Tavion Banks (from Drake), Alvaro Folgueiras (from Robert Morris), Brendan Hauser (from Kansas State), Ashton Williamson (from Florida International)
Players arriving from high school: Trevin Jirek, Tate Sage
McCollum is one of the quickest risers in the sport, just two years removed from his Division II coaching gig, and he brings a star who has gone through the process with him to highlight the sixth-best transfer portal class in the country. Bennett Stirtz is ranked the third overall player in the portal by the 247Sports Composite and the do-it-all guard is the leader of the five Drake transfers following McCollum. There are other strong additions, too, notably last year’s Horizon League Player of the Year Alvaro Folgueiras. The Hawkeyes still have three open scholarships.
What to like about Iowa
McCollum has made a remarkably swift rise through the ranks for good reason. At Northwest Missouri State, he was a four-time national champion and transformed the previously uncompetitive program into a perennial powerhouse. In his sole season at Drake, he guided the team to the school’s first-ever 30-win season. His teams are gritty and detail-oriented. Even with a guy like Stirtz leading the charge, McCollum’s system shares the ball around and emphasizes total team play.
Speaking of Stirtz, he looks to be one of, if not the most, highly touted player joining the Big Ten this season. He’s efficient, can score from anywhere on the court, and most importantly, is an excellent facilitator.
The Hawkeyes will have a decent supporting cast to assist Stirtz. Folgueiras is the next best player – a talented big who can stretch the floor and has good vision. The other four Bulldogs aren’t the most talented bunch, but they’re hard-working and fit seamlessly with Stirtz. Brendan Hauser is a pure sharpshooter – 232 of his 277 shot attempts were threes and he connected at a 38.8 percent clip.
What to question with Iowa
There are still open scholarships to fill and center is the biggest void. Incoming freshman Trevin Jirek is the only rostered true center at 6-foot-11 and he’s not even ranked in the 247Sports Composite. Guys like Folgueiras or Manyawu can play the small-ball five, but that’s hard to maintain through 40 minutes of Big Ten play through the course of a season.
There’s a steep falloff in talent after Stirtz and Folgueiras. Again, Stirtz is a floor raiser and can raise his team’s success but doing that in the Missouri Valley is a lot different than the Big Ten. There’s little doubt his individual season will turn heads, but will it be enough to will the Hawkeyes into conference contention?
Iowa’s outlook for the 2025-26 season
Home: Illinois, Michigan, Northwestern, Ohio State, Rutgers, UCLA, USC
Away: Indiana, Michigan State, Oregon, Penn State, Wisconsin, Washington
Home/Away: Maryland, Nebraska, Purdue
Iowa projects inside Bart Torvik’s top 35 nationally and ninth in the Big Ten. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi predicts the Hawkeyes to be a No. 8 seed in the NCAA tournament picture.
There’s a lot of buzz around McCollum’s arrival and the new era of Iowa basketball and it will undoubtedly be a different look with defensive-minded and methodical play. The Hawkeyes will go as far as McCollum and Stirtz can lead them.
(Photo credit: Iowa Athletics)
Category: Commentary
Filed to: 2025-26 Big Ten preview, Iowa Hawkeyes
