Three More Iowa WBB Players May Enter Transfer Portal

March 30 marked the date both Addie Deal and Callie Levin decided to enter the transfer portal.

The Iowa Hawkeyes know they'll be without a pair of key reserve players a year from now as those two joined Kennise Johnson who put her name in the portal a week prior.

The transfer portal isn't officially open yet, but The Gazette's Jeff Linder reported that those aren't the only three entering the portal.

Linder said there's a "pretty good idea that there will be 2-3 more departures," which doesn't bode well for second-year head coach Jan Jensen. She sure has her work cut out for her this year in the portal, but thankfully, it seems like they'll still have a solid foundation of returning players.

Core Will Remain Intact

Iowa WBB portal watch is ending for tonight.

Stay tuned the remainder of the week.

Pretty good idea that there will be 2-3 more departures. Not naming names (yet) because none are yet official.

Fairly confident here that the 2026-27 core will remain intact.
— Jeff Linder (@jtlinder) March 31, 2026

One of the things Linder added was the fact that he's "fairly confident here that the 2026-27 core will remain intact."

He noted, "Not naming names (yet) because none are yet official", though it's clear he has some inside information on what's happening behind the scenes.

Deal likely decided she was best suited elsewhere due to playing time. As a five-star recruit coming out of high school, Deal put up a career high against a ranked Ohio State team, but failed to deliver when Jensen put her in the starting lineup. She struggled to get going after that point, and that's when the difficult conversations took place.

As for Levin and Johnson, both believe they can start, or at least play more than a few minutes away from Iowa. It was tough to see an Iowa native like Levin decide to go, but things like this have become normal in the transfer portal era.

Predicting the Next Departures

Iowa G Emely Rodrigue — Iowa guard Emely Rodriguez (21) drives to the lane Oct. 30, 2025 during an exhibition game against the Ashland Eagles at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If Linder is correct that the core will remain intact, players like Ava Heiden, Taylor Stremlow, and Chit-Chat Wright shouldn't be going anywhere. Journey Houston is expected to see a big increase in her minutes without the likes of seniors Hannah Stuelke, Taylor McCabe and Kylie Feuerbach.

When looking at the rest of the roster, someone who immediately stands out is Emely Rodriguez. It's a bit shocking she hasn't transferred yet, as the sophomore's issues with the team have been well documented and she hasn't appeared in a game since Nov. 22.

Freshman center Layla Hays is another to keep an eye on. Iowa would love to keep her 6-foot-5 frame around, but she's coming off a year where she averaged under 10 minutes per game and that's simply not cutting it for players in this modern era.

Wisconsin native Teagan Mallegni is the only other name to keep an eye on. It's hard to imagine all three transferring, but anything is possible, and it would be a huge wake-up call for Jensen and company as this roster would be nowhere near what it was in 2025-26.

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