3 Can't-Miss Transfer Portal Stars Iowa MBB Should Target

Last year, rising from the mid-major ranks (came from Drake), Ben McCollum didn’t have the luxury of landing the nation’s top transfer-portal prospects – save for the fact that he brought Bennett Stirtz along for the ride.

This time around, though, with no Stirtz, McCollum is going to have to rely on his recruiting prowess to coax talent to Iowa City.

And, speaking of Stirtz, the Hawkeyes are going to need a lead guard to fill the gaping hole his departure will leave. Ideally, Iowa also brings in another bigger body to round out the frontcourt and ease any rebounding burdens.

And given the Elite Eight run the Hawkeyes just put together – yet another feather in McCollum’s already-decorated coaching cap – Iowa has an easy sell to prospects: the Hawkeyes win.

Here are three transfer-portal players Iowa should key in on.

3 transfer portal targets Iowa must prioritize

Daniel Freitag, Guard

Former school: Buffalo
Remaining years of eligibility: Two

Daniel Freitag is a supremely gifted scorer with three-level ability. He shot 36.1 percent from deep – mind you, many of those shots were heavily contested – en route to 2.3 triples per game.

He has a lightning-quick first step, allowing him to attack the basket at will (or get to his midrange jumper). Once at the rim, Freitag is patient, has crafty footwork – he loves a step-through – and has displayed a wide array of finishes.

Freitag from DEEEEP!!

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— Buffalo Men's Basketball (@UBuffaloMBB) February 3, 2026

Whether it was a direct result of his team’s needs or his personal game, Freitag was a shoot-first player at Buffalo, but was a more-than-willing passer, averaging 3.8 assists (against just 1.8 turnovers).

A flat-out bucket getter, Freitag would add a massive scoring punch for Iowa while one would expect McCollum to be able to squeeze every ounce of playmaking out of Freitag, ideally turning him into a well-rounded offensive threat capable of carrying Iowa on another deep run next year.

Naithan George, Guard

Former school: Syracuse
Remaining years of eligibility: One

There aren’t many (if any) better playmakers in the portal than Naithan George. As a sophomore at Georgia Tech, he led the ACC with 6.5 assists per game, and he was solid at 5.4 last year with Syracuse.

The driving force of a squad’s offense, George can orchestrate an entire attack and create action out of nothing. He’s a pick-and-roll maestro who is also an open-floor savant, pushing the tempo and helping his team to easy buckets.

As a scorer, he’s a constant downhill threat, using his 6-foot-3 frame, and is a respectable shooter from deep – but not exactly a marksman (31.8 percent on his career).

He would be a dream fit for the Hawkeyes at the lead guard position, allowing McCollum to continue running heavy ball-screen action through a thoroughly gifted playmaker in George.

Drew Scharnowski, Forward

Former school: Belmont
Remaining years of eligibility: Two

Strong, lengthy, and an extremely fluid athlete, Drew Scharnowski has all the physical attributes that can make him a successful big man in the always-tough Big Ten. He averaged 10.7 points, six rebounds and 2.6 assists in just 21.8 minutes per game at Belmont this past season.

Scharnowski slam💪 @DrewScharnowski #ItsBruinTime pic.twitter.com/9JHMobiBnk
— Belmont Basketball (@BelmontMBB) February 26, 2026

Offensively, he relies on his ability as a roller in ball-screen situations, pairing his physicality and athleticism with solid touch around the basket. He’s also a gifted passer and an excellent rim-runner.

Defensively, he’s a monster. He blocked 1.3 shots per game and averaged nearly a steal per outing, using that length along with top-notch anticipation to be a game-changing presence as a help-side defender.

Although his lack of long-distance ability would make it difficult to play him alongside Cam Manyawu, he’d be a dream fit next to Alvaro Folgueiras and could take the Iowa defense to the next level while flipping the script on the Hawkeyes’ glass woes.