Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Adds First Transfer Player of 2026 Cycle

The Bearcats basketball team added the first transfer portal commitment of the Jerrod Calhoun era on Tuesday night in former Utah State forward David Iweze.

He did not play in 2025-26 after a redshirt freshman season but holds four years of eligibility. According to 247Sports, Iweze was the 41st-ranked center in the 2025 class as a three-star recruit.

He held offers from Texas A&M, Cal, and USC at 6-9, 215 pounds.

Calhoun's First Addition

University of Cincinnati athletic director John Cunningham stands with Cincinnati head coach Jerrod Calhoun with a jersey as he is announced as the head men's basketball coach at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati on Wednesday, March 25, 2026. | Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Iweze figures to be a backend of the rotation player to start his Bearcats tenure. He's part of a big transfer plan under their new head coach and general manager, Corey Evans.

They will likely have to field a near-completely new team this coming season in the constant churn of the NCAA Basketball modern system.

"I remember Corey when he was just getting into scouting and starting," Calhoun said at his press conference last month. "Corey is a prime example of getting in the business and understanding the sky's the limit, right? If you put your head down, you work, you get better, you try to grow. College basketball has changed, and I think you need a general manager. I think you need somebody outside the coaching staff who can negotiate those contracts. I think the general manager and the coach have to be on the same page ... The relationship has to be two-way. I'm not a yes guy.

"I like confrontation every once in a while in a coaching meeting, but we have to be very aligned on the style of play we're going to play, and more importantly, the character of the player. We're not going to compromise talent over character. That ain't going to work, I can tell you that. And you know, if we can get to the NCAA Tournament back-to-back years, doing it the way we are, with the resources we had, now, you add bigger resources, you get good evaluations, you implement the plan. We should not just want to get into the NCAA Tournament. We should be wanting to advance week by week and get back to a Final Four."

Cincinnati's transfer flurry has begun.

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