Who is Rowan Brumbaugh? Why Illinois is Interested in the Sweet-Shooting Transfer

It’s perhaps an unusual experience for Brad Underwood to have very few needs in the transfer portal. But if he consistently leads Illinois on deep NCAA Tournament runs like this past Final Four, it seems retention will no longer be a problem in Champaign.

Still, the Illini have a void (or two) to fill in the backcourt, and they now have the luxury of being able to be quite selective in the process of who they pursue. In other words, if Illinois gets in touch with a transfer, then there is no debate: said player can flat-out hoop.

And Rowan Brumbaugh, who the Illini have shown interest in, per On3’s Joe Tipton, falls firmly into that category.

Tulane transfer guard Rowan Brumbaugh is receiving interest from the following schools, he told @On3:

UCLA
Cincinnati
BYU
SMU
Illinois
South Carolina
Indiana
LSU
Memphis
Baylor

Brumbaugh says he's currently on an official visit to Cincinnati. https://t.co/mlhlOC8bqo https://t.co/hfjyF2cJiI
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) April 10, 2026

Who is Rowan Brumbaugh?

Back in high school as a member of the class of 2022, Brumbaugh was a four-star recruit who took his talents to Texas, where he ultimately redshirted as a freshman. A year later, he wound up at Georgetown, serving in a rotational role, averaging 8.3 points in 22.1 minutes per game.

Then, Brumbaugh hit the portal again, eventually landing at Tulane, where he has blossomed over the past two seasons. As a junior in 2025-26, Brumbaugh averaged 19.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.6 steals for the Green Wave.

Tulane transfer Rowan Brumbaugh scouting report

Brumbaugh is a tremendously well-rounded offensive threat. He can stroke it from deep (hit 1.9 per game at 36.0 percent) and is comfortable shooting the rock off movement or spotting up, and even off the bounce at times. Getting downhill, although he’s a below-the-rim athlete, he has impressive burst and a crafty enough handle, along with a fairly deep finishing package.

That Asher and Rowan connection 🧘

📺| ESPNU#BuiltToRise x @GreenWaveMBB pic.twitter.com/NWlrDB9CHy
— The American (@American_Conf) March 13, 2026

His physical attributes won’t blow anyone away (6-foot-4, 185 pounds) but Brumbaugh plays stronger than his frame and welcomes contact, evident in his 7.3 free throw attempts per game (hit 80.4 percent). Also, for a guy who doesn’t live above the rim and isn’t head-and-shoulders taller than everyone else, Brumbaugh’s two-point efficiency of 51.9 percent this past season is something to marvel at.

Toss in his excellent rebounding for his position plus his secondary playmaking – operates well in the pick-and-roll and can draw two and create for others as a driver – and he’s the ideal Underwood hooper, save for the arguable lack of positional size.

How would Rowan Brumbaugh fit at Illinois?

Here’s the semi-confusing part: Brumbaugh, who is a two guard, isn’t going to take control of the offense, but the Illini are loaded on the wings. Jake Davis and Andrej Stojakovic own the wing while the expectation was if Brandon Lee elects to stick around, he should make strides and crack the rotation.

The Morgan & Morgan Play of the Day was Rowan Brumbaugh's logo triple☄️ #BuiltToRise x @GreenWaveMBB pic.twitter.com/gwnD6NpsWD
— The American (@American_Conf) March 12, 2026

Then again, Brumbaugh could still potentially serve in a reserve role picking up some of the minutes left by the departure of Kylan Boswell, as Davis and Stojakovic can’t eat all of those up. Still, that would imply that Lee would once again be pushed to the back-end of the rotation.

Regardless, from a skill perspective, Brumbaugh’s combination of shooting, rebounding and supplemental playmaking would make him an excellent addition for Illinois, especially if he embraced the super-sub role.