All Things 2026 Transfer Portal Thread

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tjgopher said:
Will they? It absolutely depends on who they get to take the place of Bennett Stirtz.

I think you underestimate how much they will miss Bennett Stirtz. He was a first-team all-Big Ten player and a likely first round NBA pick. With Bennett Stirtz Iowa in 2026 was a very good version of the 2025 Drake Bulldogs. Without Bennett Stirtz, they will be a very, very mediocre or worse 2025 Drake Bulldogs if they don't replace him properly. Most of Iowa's returners are mid-major type guys. You have to remember Iowa was a come-from-behind win over Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament away from probably having a play-in game in Dayton in the NCAA Tourney. They were 3-7 in their last 10 games going into the tourney with a couple of bad losses. Not really a team overflowing with talented players. Good, well-coached team with a superstar PG, but not brimming with talent elsewhere.

Obviously, they are well-coached, but as you mentioned with Minnesota, Iowa will also need a big-time guy or two to be better in 2027 than they were in 2026.

They can pay someone to take Stirtz's spot because he was not cheap last year, but will that player really fill the void he leaves? It'll be tough.

I think it will be be harder for Iowa to fill the void left by Stirtz than the gap Tyson is leaving to fill at Minnesota. And, as you mentioned, Minnesota is starting a little further behind the starting line.
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I think we are of similar thought... I don't think Iowa will replace Stirtz with another 1st round draft choice but I think they'll get a good coachable point guard. And I think that will get to them to a similar place as a team. They have 3 young perimeter shooters who shoot 40% from 3 and know the system. In other words, I think Iowa's scoring gets spread out. At minimum, they probably find a solid point guard who scores 10 versus 20. The Gophers have one 40% perimeter shooter. Pretty big advantage Iowa.

Iowa has 7 returning system players and 5 of those guys played 37 games together ... the Gophers have 4 returning. Advantage by a lot Iowa. (Banks looking for a Juco waiver would make 8)

Iowa needs to replace Stirtz's 20 and Folgueiras's 8...we have Tyson's 20 and Reynolds 12. advantage Iowa.

I like Niko but McCollum is a far more accomplished coach. He wins. Niko is good but hasn't won to anywhere near the same level. Niko has had more opportunity, Niko is 7 years older.
Big advantage Iowa.

Like you say, Iowa needs to replace two/three quality guys. Minnesota needs 5 to 7 quality guys to get to the same starting line as a team.

Iowa has two freshman recruits similarly rated to the top two Gopher recruits...we added a third unranked recruit in Tomes, so 3 recruits scores higher than 2 but... I'd say it's a push.

McCollum is like Coca Cola dividends...they haven't missed paying off in a long time. McCollum has been to NCAA post season play for 13 straight years. The last 10 years in any one season...the most games he lost in a single season was 6 and then at Iowa they lost 13 games this past year. You think he ain't obsessed with improving that and getting back to his "normal". He lost 4 at Drake.
I'm positive he learned things to improve in the Big Ten this coming season. They'll be better.
History says they won't lose 10 games again. Very confident he's obsessed with improving on the first year at Iowa.
And I'm not saying Minnesota can't finish ahead of Iowa...Niko is good....we certainly could be a darkhorse that streaks to the finish line. On Draft Kings Iowa is given about the 25th best chance to win the NCAA Tournament next year of about 40-50 teams. Minnesota is not on the list.
I believe Iowa is talking about winning the NCAA Tournament next season in workouts and conversations among players...I doubt Minnesota is. I think the mindsets are different.
 


60's Guy said:
I think we are of similar thought... I don't think Iowa will replace Stirtz with another 1st round draft choice but I think they'll get a good coachable point guard. And I think that will get to them to a similar place as a team. They have 3 young perimeter shooters who shoot 40% from 3 and know the system. In other words, I think Iowa's scoring gets spread out. At minimum, they probably find a solid point guard who scores 10 versus 20. The Gophers have one 40% perimeter shooter. Pretty big advantage Iowa.

Iowa has 7 returning system players and 5 of those guys played 37 games together ... the Gophers have 4 returning. Advantage by a lot Iowa. (Banks looking for a Juco waiver would make 8)

Iowa needs to replace Stirtz's 20 and Folgueiras's 8...we have Tyson's 20 and Reynolds 12. advantage Iowa.

I like Niko but McCollum is a far more accomplished coach. He wins. Niko is good but hasn't won to anywhere near the same level. Niko has had more opportunity, Niko is 7 years older.
Big advantage Iowa.

Like you say, Iowa needs to replace two/three quality guys. Minnesota needs 5 to 7 quality guys to get to the same starting line as a team.

Iowa has two freshman recruits similarly rated to the top two Gopher recruits...we added a third unranked recruit in Tomes, so 3 recruits scores higher than 2 but... I'd say it's a push.

McCollum is like Coca Cola dividends...they haven't missed paying off in a long time. McCollum has been to NCAA post season play for 13 straight years. The last 10 years in any one season...the most games he lost in a single season was 6 and then at Iowa they lost 13 games this past year. You think he ain't obsessed with improving that and getting back to his "normal". He lost 4 at Drake.
I'm positive he learned things to improve in the Big Ten this coming season. They'll be better.
History says they won't lose 10 games again. Very confident he's obsessed with improving on the first year at Iowa.
And I'm not saying Minnesota can't finish ahead of Iowa...Niko is good....we certainly could be a darkhorse that streaks to the finish line. On Draft Kings Iowa is given about the 25th best chance to win the NCAA Tournament next year of about 40-50 teams. Minnesota is not on the list.
I believe Iowa is talking about winning the NCAA Tournament next season in workouts and conversations among players...I doubt Minnesota is. I think the mindsets are different.
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You seem hyper focused on Iowa. Niko got 8 B1G wins out of a roster that had 87 games missed by its top 8 players. I'm perfectly happy to let him build his year 2 team with 4 solid returning players and hopefully much better injury luck. Will Iowa still be better than us? Maybe. I don't really care.

If we make the NCAA tournament next year, I don't really care if Iowa is two seed lines ahead of us. I'm certainly not ready to jump off a ledge because we haven't signed anyone 5 days into the portal opening.
 

60's Guy said:
They have 3 young perimeter shooters who shoot 40% from 3 and know the system. The Gophers have one 40% perimeter shooter. Pretty big advantage Iowa.
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Where are you getting three Iowa returners who shoot over 40%? I don't see that. I see two, one of whom made 19 three-pointers all season and attempted about one 3pt attempt per game and is a career 32% 3pt shooter (and needs a waiver to return), and the other who needed a blistering final seven games to get to 40.2% for the season.

60's Guy said:
Like you say, Iowa needs to replace two/three quality guys. Minnesota needs 5 to 7 quality guys to get to the same starting line as a team.
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I didn't say that. I said they have returners who are mid-major talents made better by the precense of a guy they will not have next year. Certainly the returning Iowa players will improve with the good coaching they will get, but without Stirtz, we'll see how good they are next year. I said Iowa will have a harder time closing the gap that Stirtz leaves than what Minnesota will have in filling the void Tyson leaves.

60's Guy said:
I believe Iowa is talking about winning the NCAA Tournament next season in workouts and conversations among players...I doubt Minnesota is. I think the mindsets are different.
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Iowa has no chance at winning the NCAA Tournament. None. Zero.
 
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tjgopher said:
I said they have returners who are mid-major talents made better by the precense of a guy they will not have next year. Certainly the returning Iowa players will improve with the good coaching they will get, but without Stirtz, we'll see how good they are next year. I said Iowa will have a harder time closing the gap that Stirtz leaves than what Minnesota will have in filling the void Tyson leaves.
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I'll take it a step further. Niko has experience at this level dealing with his best player leaving the program; McCollum has never coached at this level without Bennett Stirtz. I'm not predicting his downfall, but it's fair to question whether or not he's capable of making a smooth transition. Particularly given that his style of play requires his team to execute late in the shot clock and he's lost a cheat code player.
 


60's Guy said:
Iowa needs to replace Stirtz's 20 and Folgueiras's 8...we have Tyson's 20 and Reynolds 12. advantage Iowa.
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Lol what? Stirtz was a spectacular floor general, who's a fringe lottery pick. He made their entire offense tick, and literally couldn't rest because it all fell apart when he did.

Iowa will have a far bigger adjustment without Stirtz than we will without Reynolds and Tyson, and I say that with no disrespect to our two guys, as they were solid players in their own ways.

Losing Stirtz is far more impactful than just 20 PPG (obviously, that's a massive hole to fill, too).

I would LOVE to get Iowa on the schedule as one of the December Big10 games.
 

60's Guy said:
After the last 25 years, I'd just like to see us finish Top 4 in the conference somewhat consistently.
It's an important time on the calendar and for a team that needs 6 or 7 new guys....what we waiting for? All the higher rated guys to choose somebody else to play for?
A lotta teams had at least their top guy lined up at least a month ago. Iowa State wins...they probably got less money than we do...they got 5,6 guys signed. Xavier has 3 very good players signed. Two examples doing it differently. That's all...just don't agree with our approach.
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Top 4 consistently is tough these days. Was easier in a 10 team league but top 4 of 18 is tough. Heck, Purdue was 7th this season.
 



minnyrules11 said:
Iowa will be worse; regardless MN beat them head to head last year. They don’t have Michigan NIL. Acting like Minnesota can’t compete with Iowa basketball NIL is head scratching to say the least.
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No, they don't have Michigan resources but, from an article I read a couple of weeks ago, they may have more than us. That article said that they could have up to $10 million to pay the roster.
 


Mc
60's Guy said:
I think we are of similar thought... I don't think Iowa will replace Stirtz with another 1st round draft choice but I think they'll get a good coachable point guard. And I think that will get to them to a similar place as a team. They have 3 young perimeter shooters who shoot 40% from 3 and know the system. In other words, I think Iowa's scoring gets spread out. At minimum, they probably find a solid point guard who scores 10 versus 20. The Gophers have one 40% perimeter shooter. Pretty big advantage Iowa.

Iowa has 7 returning system players and 5 of those guys played 37 games together ... the Gophers have 4 returning. Advantage by a lot Iowa. (Banks looking for a Juco waiver would make 8)

Iowa needs to replace Stirtz's 20 and Folgueiras's 8...we have Tyson's 20 and Reynolds 12. advantage Iowa.

I like Niko but McCollum is a far more accomplished coach. He wins. Niko is good but hasn't won to anywhere near the same level. Niko has had more opportunity, Niko is 7 years older.
Big advantage Iowa.

Like you say, Iowa needs to replace two/three quality guys. Minnesota needs 5 to 7 quality guys to get to the same starting line as a team.

Iowa has two freshman recruits similarly rated to the top two Gopher recruits...we added a third unranked recruit in Tomes, so 3 recruits scores higher than 2 but... I'd say it's a push.

McCollum is like Coca Cola dividends...they haven't missed paying off in a long time. McCollum has been to NCAA post season play for 13 straight years. The last 10 years in any one season...the most games he lost in a single season was 6 and then at Iowa they lost 13 games this past year. You think he ain't obsessed with improving that and getting back to his "normal". He lost 4 at Drake.
I'm positive he learned things to improve in the Big Ten this coming season. They'll be better.
History says they won't lose 10 games again. Very confident he's obsessed with improving on the first year at Iowa.
And I'm not saying Minnesota can't finish ahead of Iowa...Niko is good....we certainly could be a darkhorse that streaks to the finish line. On Draft Kings Iowa is given about the 25th best chance to win the NCAA Tournament next year of about 40-50 teams. Minnesota is not on the list.
I believe Iowa is talking about winning the NCAA Tournament next season in workouts and conversations among players...I doubt Minnesota is. I think the mindsets are different.
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McCollum has coached two seasons in D-1. One at midmajor Drake and a 10th place league finish at Iowa. Everything else is D-2.

He’s a really good coach, but the league is full of really good coaches.
 

combes1 said:
Mc

McCollum has coached two seasons in D-1. One at midmajor Drake and a 10th place league finish at Iowa. Everything else is D-2.

He’s a really good coach, but the league is full of really good coaches.
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Yes, it is full of them. Obviously, McCollum has a very impressive coaching record of success but there's nothing that says he couldn't end up like another good Iowa coach: Tom Davis. Tom Davis spent 13 years at Iowa. In his first year there, Iowa won 30 games and advanced to the final 8 in the NCAA tournament. His Iowa teams never did that well again.
 




Might be ready to make a jump for MD, played a decent amount for TN last year
 

TwistingMyMelon said:
Yes, it is full of them. Obviously, McCollum has a very impressive coaching record of success but there's nothing that says he couldn't end up like another good Iowa coach: Tom Davis. Tom Davis spent 13 years at Iowa. In his first year there, Iowa won 30 games and advanced to the final 8 in the NCAA tournament. His Iowa teams never did that well again.
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Not to derail this thread, but on the iowa thing. They have had a good program, could they make it back to the elite, sure but its unlikely. One thing that helps McCollum (and Niko), their style leads to fewer possessions and slower games. Those are easier for a lesser talent team to win. That leads to tournament runs here and there. It also means you have less room for error vs bad teams. Look no further than the gophers this year. Beat iowa mich st, lose to psu and Rutgers. Its obvious McCollum is a good coach, but when you lose your 4 year starter Pg who's going to be a 1st round pick, that can hinder your team. They aren't going to be a 17th place team, but they also will likely have less room for error and thus not losses
 

Screenshot 2026-04-15 at 1.15.44 PM.png
If these are the prices for the top 25 guys...I doubt it drops to $1M for anybody top 100.
So, top 100 to 200 might be $1M? Or are they still $2M. $7M doesn't go far with 15 guys.
 

60's Guy said:
View attachment 43679
If these are the prices for the top 25 guys...I doubt it drops to $1M for anybody top 100.
So, top 100 to 200 might be $1M? Or are they still $2M. $7M doesn't go far with 15 guys.
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I guess CBB Money Ball is to build a team of wings. Niko kind of does that already.
 

60's Guy said:
View attachment 43679
If these are the prices for the top 25 guys...I doubt it drops to $1M for anybody top 100.
So, top 100 to 200 might be $1M? Or are they still $2M. $7M doesn't go far with 15 guys.
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This is why I am thrilled he was able to grab Mpoyi. No guarantee but he is certainly a high potential prospect.

We are going to have to get our NIL pot up to 10 million or more to compete for a highly competitive roster in the years to come.
 

bga1 said:
This is why I am thrilled he was able to grab Mpoyi. No guarantee but he is certainly a high potential prospect.

We are going to have to get our NIL pot up to 10 million or more to compete for a highly competitive roster in the years to come.
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Mpoyi is the gigantic Gopher X factor. I agree with the high potential label. And ya, I think those numbers are pretty representative of what's going on...so $10M seems pretty close to the floor budget wise...but I think that's probably the requirement now and it seems we probably don't have it.
 


60's Guy said:
Mpoyi is the gigantic Gopher X factor. I agree with the high potential label. And ya, I think those numbers are pretty representative of what's going on...so $10M seems pretty close to the floor budget wise...but I think that's probably the requirement now and it seems we probably don't have it.
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A huge help would be for Niko to put together an under the radar roster that fits his system to a tee- then he goes out and makes the tournament. The town would support that and I think we would have a shot to compete at higher and higher levels going forward. Big year coming and it is really important to grow the momentum.

If we can get really good results out of the incoming frosh and get the right fits from the portal, it can happen without star power.
 

For Today only on 247 at 2:45PM:
20 Committed
8 Entered
1 Withdrawn
The total committed by my count is 244 guys so far.
 






bga1 said:
A huge help would be for Niko to put together an under the radar roster that fits his system to a tee- then he goes out and makes the tournament. The town would support that and I think we would have a shot to compete at higher and higher levels going forward. Big year coming and it is really important to grow the momentum.

If we can get really good results out of the incoming frosh and get the right fits from the portal, it can happen without star power.
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7 strong starter/rotation guys and 3 Freshmen. Hopefully we can avoid the injury bug till February to give the Freshman time to get acclimated.
 

Sounds like Grady is another injury prone guy. Foot issues in HS and again his freshman year at Michigan. Not sure the Gophers need to deal with that again...
 

99Gopher said:
(Bear with my football comments before getting to the funding) Actually, I don't think Indiana did us any favors, because I don't know if most alumni who have the money take the time to really look at the details of what it took for Indiana football to pull off what it did. If you just look at their high school football recruiting over the last several years, they are still behind Minn. However, their talent evaluation and commitment to the portal has been amazing. But do must alumni get all that? I say this because what the football team's efforts seem to have done is raise the boat for all at IU, as all of a sudden it seems like their basketball teams have money to spend.

Looking at the alumni numbers, we have 641,000 living U of M alumni, with 62% of those alumni living in Minnesota. In fiscal year 2024, alumni gave more than $218 million to the University, representing 40% of all donors and 56% of all giving. So, there's money, but evidently not much for the sports programs. It just seems like one of the programs needs to pull something spectacular off to pull the Alumni base out of its apathy for the sports programs. (There's a reason we have 2 new hockey coaches in a sport we should always be highly competitive in) Unfortunately, this money problem is kind of like a chicken or the egg issue. For a reference, Iowa State has 233,000 living alumni and seems to get stuff done with 1/3 of our numbers.
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Mark Cuban contributed millions to the Indiana NIL bucket showing that billionaires can buy championships. How much isn't disclosed but he gave $6 million to the Indiana Rugby Club....my guess is basketball is getting some $$ too.
 

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