Iowa Making Serious Play for Compelling PG in Transfer Portal

The Iowa Hawkeyes are in the hunt for a very intriguing point guard in the transfer portal.

Ben McCollum, Iowa's new head men's basketball coach, speaks during his introductory press conference Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa Hawkeyes have been very busy trying to add talent via the transfer portal this offseason, which is essential considering Iowa lost tons of players to the portal itself.

New head coach Ben McCollum has done a tremendous job of recruiting talent far and wide, and now, he appears to be zeroing in on another addition: Florida International point guard Ashton Williamson.

The Hawkeyes held a visit with Williamson this week, via Eliot Cough of Hawkeye Beacon.

Williamson has decided to transfer from Florida International after spending just one season with the Panthers. He played in 33 games and made 16 starts this past year, averaging 7.3 points, 2.7 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals over 24.2 minutes per game on 39.4/32.9/67.6 shooting splits.

The Gary, In. native is definitely one of the more intriguing guards to enter the portal this offseason and would represent a huge get for Iowa, especially considering that he has three years of eligibility remaining.

Iowa just trudged through an incredibly disappointing 2024-25 campaign, going 17-16 and posting a meager 7-13 record in Big Ten conference play. It marked the second straight year the Hawkeyes missed the NCAA Tournament after qualifying for three straight seasons.

The team's lack of success this past year resulted in the firing of head coach Fran McCaffery, who had spent a decade-and-a-half at the helm in Iowa City.

The Hawkeyes quickly found an answer in McCollum, who led the Drake to a 31-4 record and a first-round NCAA Tournament win during his lone season coaching the Bulldogs.

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