Iowa Targeting Standout Scorer Isaac Bruns in Transfer Portal

The Hawkeyes need more depth at the guard position, and South Dakota transfer Isaac Bruns can give them just that.

Nov 5, 2025; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; South Dakota Coyotes guard Isaac Bruns (12) drives against Creighton Bluejays forward Isaac Traudt (41) and Fedor Zugic (7) during the first half at CHI Health Center Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

With Bennett Stirtz off to the NBA, Iowa is seeking to bolster its backcourt. And without an incoming recruit in the class of 2026 listed as a guard, Ben McCollum and his staff have no choice but to turn to the transfer portal.

Seemingly, the Hawkeyes have found a potential answer in South Dakota transfer Isaac Bruns, who the program has been in contact with, according to Tobias Bass of The Athletic.

Since entering the transfer portal, Isaac Bruns has heard from the following schools:

Iowa
Nebraska
Creighton
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Missouri
Iowa State
Kansas State
San Diego
Lipscomb
Murray State
LMU
George Washington
Lamar
San Fransico
Cal
High Point
Murray State
FAU pic.twitter.com/BcnQdI9rSH

— Tobias Bass (@tobias_bass) April 10, 2026

Who is Isaac Bruns?

Unranked as a high school prospect, Bruns, a South Dakota native, elected to stay in state and suit up for the Coyotes.

As a freshman, Bruns worked himself into the rotation, playing 14.0 minutes per game and appearing in 32 contests. By his sophomore year, he took a leap, averaging 14.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in just 23.5 minutes. 

This past season, Bruns took another stride forward, scoring 20.8 points, grabbing 5.1 rebounds and snagging 1.2 steals over 20 games, before a foot injury sidelined him for the remainder of the campaign. 

South Dakota transfer Isaac Bruns scouting report

Nov 5, 2025; Omaha, Nebraska, USA; South Dakota Coyotes guard Isaac Bruns (12) shoots over Creighton Bluejays guard Fedor Zugic (7) during the first half at CHI Health Center Omaha. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

At first glance, Bruns’ premier skill appears to be shooting the rock. He canned 1.5 per game this past season at a sterling clip of 39.2 percent. Yet he is probably even more effective inside the arc, where he attacks the rim and lives at the free-throw line as he took 7.0 per game (hit at 84.3 percent) in 2025-26. 

Bruns isn’t a twitchy athlete or extremely creative, but he’s a high-IQ, instinctual off-ball player. He reads the help defense exceptionally well and recognizes driving lanes while understanding the importance of instantaneous decisions. Bruns has a great knack for driving closeouts, surely aided by his high-level shooting, which forces defenders to run him off the line. 

Defensively, he averaged the aforementioned 1.2 steals per game, but doesn’t possess an ideal combination of size (just 6-foot-4) and athleticism to be a true impact player on that end. 

How would Isaac Bruns fit at Iowa?

As an off-ball player, Bruns wouldn’t be able to fill that Stirtz-sized hole all by himself (and there likely isn’t a player in the portal who can), but he could add tremendous value as a supplemental scorer for the Hawkeyes. 

He rarely forces and is capable of getting his at the basket or from deep while also rebounding well for his position. Still, he’d likely be best-served in a reserve role, perhaps as a seventh or eighth man.