All Signs Point to Audi Crooks' Iowa State Transfer
One of the biggest stories during the last NCAA offseason was whether Iowa State Cyclones star forward Audi Crooks was going to transfer.
This came after Crooks was named a third-team All-American because of her elite sophomore campaign, where she averaged 23.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Yet, Iowa State lost in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, and many felt like Crooks deserved to play for more of a championship contender.
But Crooks shut this sentiment down with an Instagram post after the season ended that read, "Dear Cyclone Nation, Thank you to all the coaches and fans that have supported me on this journey. After much thought and consideration... quit asking! I am right where I want to be! Let's run it back. #LOYALforevertrue".
Fast forward one season, and Crooks (who has been noncommittal about whether she'd consider transferring after the 2025-26 season) got better, at least in terms of her stats. Her 25.8 points per game were second-highest in the country, and her 7.7 rebounds per game were also an improvement.
Yet, the Cyclones were bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament once again, losing this time to Syracuse. Now the chatter about Crooks potentially transferring has increased.
Why Audi Crooks' Transfer From Iowa State Feels Inevitable
Crooks and her star teammate, Jada Williams, spoke to the media after this NCAA Tournament loss. When they were asked whether they intended to stay at Iowa State, both paused and looked at each other before Williams added, "Yeah. I haven't really thought about it, but I don't think that's a question," per a video from the Des Moines Register.
"We're all still processing everything, and just being there for each other right now is the priority. That's the main thing, making sure everybody is mentally okay through this tough time," Crooks added.
Jada Williams when asked whether she planned to stay at Iowa State after losing in the NCAA Tournament a few days ago:
— Grant Young (@GrvntYoung) March 25, 2026
"Yeah. I haven't really thought about it, but I don't think that's a question."
Will be interesting to see how this impacts Audi Crooks' decision https://t.co/tXUxNLSDFF pic.twitter.com/cFOmGK2fwh
Fast forward a few days, and Jada Williams announced that she'll be transferring out of Iowa State. What's more, Addy Brown (who is the Cylones' third elite player, along with Williams and Crooks) has already announced that she's transferring.
In addition, freshman guard Reese Beaty, junior forward Lilly Taulelei, sophomore guard Reagan Wilson, and sophomore Aili Tanke have also already entered the transfer portal. Junior Alisa Williams announced she'll be transferring on March 26, according to Talia Goodman of On3Sports. That makes for seven players in the span of a week.
NEWS: Iowa State’s Alisa Williams has entered the transfer portal, she told @On3.
— Talia Goodman (@TaliaGoodmanWBB) March 26, 2026
The 6-2 junior averaged 4.8 ppg and 3.3 rpg this season.
TRACKER: https://t.co/wYv1Ze6704 pic.twitter.com/cN5RnrhgoM
While Crooks still hasn't said anything about her own transfer decision, it's hard to imagine that she'll stay around Iowa State, given that the roster is already in a much worse place than it was when the team lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament about a week ago.
Crooks deserves to compete for a national championship before she graduates. The Cylones aren't national championship contenders. She surely knows this more than most.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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