There are insiders who believe Iowa will land Rodriguez. Hopefully, an announcement will be made early in the week.
WBB Transfer Portal Targets 2025-2026 (Updated 5/21/25)
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Yeah Brad from Swarm seems to feel Iowa has a pretty decent shot.
Never said that, and theres a big difference between bringing in a recruit when from high school who will be several years behind a current player and a portal player. By then Mallegni will be ajunior, and she'll have had the chance to develop. I've also stated many times that Jans job like all the HC's is to always try to recruit better talent all the time then you have. Still its tricky, especially in the portal where you have to question if players are long term answers or one year rentals...
This is certainly another side effect of "the Caitlin Clark" era. She changed the expectation of what Iowa basketball could be. Kind of what Kirk did (maybe to a lesser degree) in that 2002-2005 stretch. Then your fighting to live up to the new expectations of just what IS possible. Jan certainly has a lot on her plate. Dream job or not she's probably the first womens coach to take the HC job where almost anything below a sweet 16 and a run at the B1G is going to be considered a down year going forward.
Do you know how many other programs have that is expectation though? Why is that not the norm of championship culture?
She's visiting NC State tomorrow, but, hopefully just a backup plan.
The Iowa staff knew she was planning on taking additional visits after visiting Iowa and Indiana.
The more I ponder this question the more I find myself on the side of getting the best players you can each year. I also 100% agree with nu2u about cultural fit. With portal additions now I think every high school player you recruit should be expected to be a multiyear starter.
I understand the negative side of bringing in players that may take minutes away from those currently on our roster, but I'd ask these players (and their parents) to think back 4 years. I would guess that 80% of players on Power 4 conference teams started as 9th graders in high school, and 95% of them as 10th graders. And, in the vast majority of those cases, the arrival of these phenoms forced a 11th or 12th grader to the bench...some that probably started the year before. Plus, high schoolers really don't have a portal system to find playing time elsewhere. So displaced college players are now experiencing the other side of the story.
This makes me appreciate players like Jada Gyamfi and Taylor Stremlow, who have headed up the welcome wagon for any and all recruits...even those who may be competing for their minutes. If we get Emely Rodriguez and a couple of studs in the 2026 class, Taylor could finish her career not getting more than the 15 minutes/game she saw this season. But with her enthusiasm about being a member of the team, I could also see her making a difference in late March Madness games or providing great contributions for an injured teammate.
I guess it all comes down to the individual.
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Wouldn't call this a glowing endorsement all by itself by David Eickholt regarding Clay's Emely Rodriguez article. Doesn't mean David hasn't said more positive news on TOS where the paywall article was posted. I just don't have access to it.
The article is written under a thread started by Brandon Clay titled 'WBK Portal Update: Emely Rodriguez' just before he posts it.
The content has been out for a while now and haven't seen much buzz about any exciting news regarding it in the general public yet. It probably makes sense now that she has at least one other visit coming yet to NC St.
The positive sources seem to be behind paywalls or insider info. If Skim Milkey said it on Twitter or other known reliable sources said it on twitter or other non-paywall outlets, then I haven't found those yet.
Only heard good news on this thread so far.:
1) SCHawkFan stating, "There are insiders who believe Iowa will land Rodriguez."
2) Scott559 stating, "Yeah Brad from Swarm seems to feel Iowa has a pretty decent shot."
Have another post coming comparing Emely's 3 portal interest via set visits so far.
The article is written under a thread started by Brandon Clay titled 'WBK Portal Update: Emely Rodriguez' just before he posts it.
The content has been out for a while now and haven't seen much buzz about any exciting news regarding it in the general public yet. It probably makes sense now that she has at least one other visit coming yet to NC St.
The positive sources seem to be behind paywalls or insider info. If Skim Milkey said it on Twitter or other known reliable sources said it on twitter or other non-paywall outlets, then I haven't found those yet.
Only heard good news on this thread so far.:
1) SCHawkFan stating, "There are insiders who believe Iowa will land Rodriguez."
2) Scott559 stating, "Yeah Brad from Swarm seems to feel Iowa has a pretty decent shot."
Have another post coming comparing Emely's 3 portal interest via set visits so far.
Rodriguez has now started following Iowa Wbb on instagram.
She doesn’t follow Indiana.
She doesn’t follow Indiana.
What does NC St have to offer Emely? They have less than I thought.
NC St Returning Roster:
NC St has 37.5 points/game Div I points returning. They've dropped several big guns and no replacements yet.
Incoming HS Recruits:
Incoming Portal Transfers:
NC St Outgoing Players:
NC St has 44 points/game leaving and so far ZERO Div I incoming points/game to recover it.
I'm shocked to find out NC St has ZERO incoming transfers so far. NC State seems to be closer to Indiana when looking at the overall outgoing and incoming players. A lot of outgoing firepower with very little to boost it so far.
This gets me to an article I posted earlier. It's the post portal Top 25.
www.nytimes.com
It's a paywall article so you can see the full rankings in my prior post on it here:
iowa.forums.rivals.com
I'm shocked again that NC St is ranked #10 from a so-called post portal POV. How in the world can this be? Again, it makes no sense. NC State loses a bunch with little to show to take its place. Then it's got to be the incoming Class of '25 recruits that are making up for this short fall? WRONG! NC St has the #29 ranked class coming in and that's 1 spot below Indiana.
Let's look at rankings of the new Div 1 incoming players for these 3 teams:
Iowa - #8
Indiana - #28
NC St - #29
Iowa clearly has the better incoming Class of '25 between these 3 teams.
I did my own incoming Class of '25 rankings. Some ESPN team rankings made no sense to me. Just like this new Top 25 list makes no sense that NC St is at #10. You can find that here:
iowa.forums.rivals.com
Again, I'm shocked NC St can have a #10 ranking yet. There's no freakin way!
Now let's get back to see how this might look to a potential portal transfer like Emely.
1) Would think this throws Indiana over the boat. I've already pointed out Indiana doesn't have much horsepower in its stable. NC State has more firepower than Indiana. Is rated better and has a couple of holes in their starting lineup for guards. Meaning Emely has no competition at NC St just like Indiana to come in and start from the get go.
NC St has the potential to go further in tournament runs over Indiana while she has no competition to nudge her out of the starting spot at either program. Plus, it's closer to home on top of it. I can't see Indiana having the upper hand here unless it's about $$$. Since she is taking her time to choose a team, $$$ doesn't seem to be the top consideration here.
2) Currently I don't see NC St as a #10 team. They may not even be Top 20. Probably closer to a TOP 25 bubble right now. Landing Emely might make them Top 20. That being said, Emely starting at Iowa is not so clear. However, I can say with these 3 teams, Iowa has the better team between them all right now and with incoming Class of '25 recruits it even makes us better.
Would think if Emely wants to be on the better team she chooses Iowa.
If she wants a guaranteed starting spot with a chance of winning more games, then NC St probably fits the bill way better than Indiana does.
It is very possible that what SCHawkFan and Scott559 said earlier does have merit to it.
1) SCHawkFan stating, "There are insiders who believe Iowa will land Rodriguez."
2) Scott559 stating, "Yeah Brad from Swarm seems to feel Iowa has a pretty decent shot."
Plus it helps when she is showing some type of recent engagement on social media with:
3) Matt1nb7 stating, "Rodriguez has now started following Iowa Wbb on instagram. She doesn’t follow Indiana."
NC St Returning Roster:
| Rk | Player | Yr | Pos | G | GS | MP | PTS | Status |
2 | Zoe Brooks | So | G | 34 | 34 | 31.8 | 14.2 | Starting G |
5 | Zamareya Jones | Fr | G | 30 | 2 | 16.8 | 7.1 | Starting G |
6 | Tilda Trygger | Fr | F | 34 | 23 | 22.2 | 6.6 | Starting Big |
7 | Lorena Awou | Fr | C | 31 | 0 | 8.8 | 3.2 | |
8 | Mallory Collier | So | C | 29 | 11 | 11.4 | 3.1 | |
9 | Devyn Quigley | Fr | G | 33 | 0 | 8.4 | 2.5 | |
12 | Maddie Cox | So | F | 30 | 0 | 7.9 | 0.8 |
NC St has 37.5 points/game Div I points returning. They've dropped several big guns and no replacements yet.
Incoming HS Recruits:
| Player | Pos | Height | My #29 Ranked Incoming Class | |
1 | Adelaide Jernigan | 5' 11" | G | Avg Rank #56.20; ESPN #68 |
2 | Destiny Lunan | 5'9" | G | Avg Rank #64.60; ESPN #65 |
Incoming Portal Transfers:
| Rk | Player | Yr | Pos | G | GS | MP | PTS | Status |
- | None | | | | |
NC St Outgoing Players:
| Rk | Outgoing Players | Yr | Pos | G | GS | MP | PTS | Status |
1 | Aziaha James | Sr | G | 35 | 34 | 31.1 | 17.9 | → Not Eligible |
3 | Saniya Rivers | Sr | G | 35 | 35 | 34.1 | 11.9 | → Not Eligible |
4 | Madison Hayes | Sr | G | 35 | 35 | 32.1 | 10.9 | → Not Eligible |
10 | Laci Steele | So | G | 23 | 0 | 6.9 | 1.7 | → Wisconsin |
11 | Lizzy Williamson | Sr | C | 5 | 1 | 6.8 | 1.6 | → Oregon St |
NC St has 44 points/game leaving and so far ZERO Div I incoming points/game to recover it.
I'm shocked to find out NC St has ZERO incoming transfers so far. NC State seems to be closer to Indiana when looking at the overall outgoing and incoming players. A lot of outgoing firepower with very little to boost it so far.
This gets me to an article I posted earlier. It's the post portal Top 25.
| Team | Rank |
| NC State | 10 |
| Iowa | 16 |
| Indiana | NR |
Women’s college basketball’s post-transfer top 25: Is UConn still on top? Did LSU jump?
How did UCLA lose its freshmen but not lose ground in the rankings?
www.nytimes.com
It's a paywall article so you can see the full rankings in my prior post on it here:
Iowa WBB 2025-2026 Season Thread
I’ve been spoiled by Sam Logic, Kathleen Doyle, Caitlin Clark, and Lucy Olsen, but do teams have success with point guard by committee? This 2024-25 season, we’ve seen more variety in players bringing the ball across mid-court, then moving into read & react so there is less emphasis on a highly...
iowa.forums.rivals.com
I'm shocked again that NC St is ranked #10 from a so-called post portal POV. How in the world can this be? Again, it makes no sense. NC State loses a bunch with little to show to take its place. Then it's got to be the incoming Class of '25 recruits that are making up for this short fall? WRONG! NC St has the #29 ranked class coming in and that's 1 spot below Indiana.
Let's look at rankings of the new Div 1 incoming players for these 3 teams:
Iowa - #8
| Player | Pos | Height | My #8 Ranked Incoming Class | |
1 | Addie Deal | 6'0" | CG | Avg Rank #13.33; ESPN #23 |
2 | Layla Hays | 6'5" | C | Avg Rank #46.17; ESPN #71 |
3 | Journey Houston | 5'11" | G | Avg Rank #47.75; ESPN #NR |
Indiana - #28
| Player | Pos | Height | My #28 Ranked Incoming Class | |
1 | Maya Makalusky | 6'3" | W | Avg Rank #45.50; ESPN #35 |
2 | Nevaeh Caffey | 5'10" | G | Avg Rank #69.75; ESPN #42 |
NC St - #29
| Player | Pos | Height | My #29 Ranked Incoming Class | |
1 | Adelaide Jernigan | 5'11" | G | Avg Rank #56.20; ESPN #68 |
2 | Destiny Lunan | 5'9" | G | Avg Rank #64.60; ESPN #65 |
Iowa clearly has the better incoming Class of '25 between these 3 teams.
I did my own incoming Class of '25 rankings. Some ESPN team rankings made no sense to me. Just like this new Top 25 list makes no sense that NC St is at #10. You can find that here:
My 2025 WBB Top 32 Commit Classes by Composite Rankings - Iowa #8
Now that #1 ranked player (Chavez) committed to OK, I can post My 2025 WBB Top 32 Commit Classes by Composite Rankings. The purpose of this project is to use a simple formula to calculate all player scores to take out as much bias as possible. Got tired of looking at ESPN's Rankings that...
iowa.forums.rivals.com
Again, I'm shocked NC St can have a #10 ranking yet. There's no freakin way!
Now let's get back to see how this might look to a potential portal transfer like Emely.
1) Would think this throws Indiana over the boat. I've already pointed out Indiana doesn't have much horsepower in its stable. NC State has more firepower than Indiana. Is rated better and has a couple of holes in their starting lineup for guards. Meaning Emely has no competition at NC St just like Indiana to come in and start from the get go.
NC St has the potential to go further in tournament runs over Indiana while she has no competition to nudge her out of the starting spot at either program. Plus, it's closer to home on top of it. I can't see Indiana having the upper hand here unless it's about $$$. Since she is taking her time to choose a team, $$$ doesn't seem to be the top consideration here.
2) Currently I don't see NC St as a #10 team. They may not even be Top 20. Probably closer to a TOP 25 bubble right now. Landing Emely might make them Top 20. That being said, Emely starting at Iowa is not so clear. However, I can say with these 3 teams, Iowa has the better team between them all right now and with incoming Class of '25 recruits it even makes us better.
Would think if Emely wants to be on the better team she chooses Iowa.
If she wants a guaranteed starting spot with a chance of winning more games, then NC St probably fits the bill way better than Indiana does.
It is very possible that what SCHawkFan and Scott559 said earlier does have merit to it.
1) SCHawkFan stating, "There are insiders who believe Iowa will land Rodriguez."
2) Scott559 stating, "Yeah Brad from Swarm seems to feel Iowa has a pretty decent shot."
Plus it helps when she is showing some type of recent engagement on social media with:
3) Matt1nb7 stating, "Rodriguez has now started following Iowa Wbb on instagram. She doesn’t follow Indiana."
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WTH? My god this is magic act by Jan/crew and Brad. She had 2 teams with a guaranteed starting position in each of them. To come to a team with less than a clear path to start, tells me she wants to win! We landed a winner here folks!
Iowa women's basketball signs UCF transfer Emely Rodriguez
Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball added some needed frontcourt depth with their second transfer-portal addition of the 2025 offseason.
www.hawkcentral.com
This recruiting victory over NC State is a big win. State has been to 6 Sweet 16s in the last 7 tourneys, an Elite 8, and a Final Four. State should be good again next year, and has an open spot for Rodriguez. State also plays much more off the bounce than Iowa, which also seems to fit Rodriguez. A big recruiting win for Iowa.
That was a really quick visit to North Carolina State. I don't think this EJ guy is very well connected.
Jan got the two she wanted to fill the main gaps she saw.
The portal is officially closed...
Elvis has left the building!
The portal is officially closed...
Elvis has left the building!
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I doubt absolute promises are made but both should get major minutes. Rodriguez must have liked the sales pitch. Wright is virtual lock to start. Rodriguez has to be a likely start.Jan got the two she wanted to fill the main gaps she saw.
The portal is officially closed...
Watching Emely's highlights leaves me thinking she might start next season.
I think Chit Chat, Rodriguez and Stuelke start. I think Feuerbach probably starts given her experience and defense. Then it depends on if they want to continue to play small ball and start Deal or if they want to go big and start Heiden. Stremlow seems like she’ll be great continuing to come off the bench.
Assuming she stays healthy, I believe Deal starts every game during her Iowa career. She is as close to Caitlin as we are going to get.
It will be:
Deal
McCabe
Feuerbach
Stuelke
Heiden
To start the year. Etch it into stone.
Deal
McCabe
Feuerbach
Stuelke
Heiden
To start the year. Etch it into stone.
How do we see this playing out for starting spots as we see it today? I do not have all the answers on this one because it is not clear to me Emely has the auto greenlight yet.
Believe there's two lineups I see here.
Lineup 1:
1 & 2) - Deal & Chit-Chat interchangeable
3 Kylie
4 Hannah
5 Heiden
I got the feeling Jan was leaning this way before Emely's commit.
Lineup 2:
1) Deal
2) Kylie
3) Emely
4) Hannah
5) Heiden
I'd be surprised if McCabe hangs on to starting spot. She can't score on the move/bounce like Chit-Chat and Emely can. Plus, I always thought McCabe plays better coming off the bench.
Maybe someone is seeing a better lineup I'm missing? Maybe Deal doesn't start but I'd have to hear in camp she's not there yet before I go that far. I also don't see a starting lineup without Heiden either. Maybe this will go by an opponent by opponent match up as well.
Anyways, the good thing about this is we have choices and whoever works their tail off should get the nod. Plus, starting isn't the holy grail in Jan's world. Whoever comes to play that night gets more mins.
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The starting lineup will be:
- PG: Deal
- SG: Feuerbach
- SF: Rodriguez
- PF: Stuelke
- C: Heiden
Not to mention losing to Indiana would have just been embarrassing considering how differently the two teams have trended the past few 2-3 years.
look at any team like S. Caroline, Conn, and more. They have competition at most position and sometimes some of their better players do not start. Now, it is up to the coaches to help each player understand their position to be the best team they can be. Not always easy with certain player's egos, but to be the best you need the competition. I am sure the coaches would rather have the problem of who to start than not having all the players.
a
If Houston redshirts, I don’t see a logjam. A minute distribution challenge for sure.
I think the lineup changes to who we play honestly. We are very versatile now and have options.
Wouldn't be surprised if Deal comes off the bench.
Pg Chit-Chat
Sg Kylie
Sf Emely or Deal
Pf Hannah
C Ava
I expect to see Hannah at the 5 alot next year too. Hopefully ava does better with fouling next year.
I expect Deal to get her minutes next year but wouldn't be surprised at all if it's off the bench. Kylie should start
I'm actually a little surprised by the Rodriguez commitment, but it's true--Jensen has a good "team" to sell, so perhaps that helped.
Deal is starting. 1 or 2 depending on CCW. (She will probably lead in scoring as well.)
Feuerbach starting
Stuelke starting
Heiden starting
The open position is going to be whomever separates between Rodriguez, Mallegni, Houston. Right now, it appears as Rodriguez, but you never know what can happen over the next 4/5 months. Wouldn't count out Stremlow, and you still may need McCabe to spread the floor if nobody can hit their 3s.
A log jam of minutes to spread, but I expect this team to run run run, so that might work out. Going to be some battles for time on the court. Hope they can bond well and make each other better.
Deal is starting. 1 or 2 depending on CCW. (She will probably lead in scoring as well.)
Feuerbach starting
Stuelke starting
Heiden starting
The open position is going to be whomever separates between Rodriguez, Mallegni, Houston. Right now, it appears as Rodriguez, but you never know what can happen over the next 4/5 months. Wouldn't count out Stremlow, and you still may need McCabe to spread the floor if nobody can hit their 3s.
A log jam of minutes to spread, but I expect this team to run run run, so that might work out. Going to be some battles for time on the court. Hope they can bond well and make each other better.
I want to give a shoutout to Boogie Barrett. It's like she came in and cranked up a dim light to full-bore. The likelihood of picking up 2 SE portal players would almost be non-existent. Maybe under Stringer it could happen easier. I didn't see this coming this soon. Since coming on board, she has injected some life into our portal successes. Are Harpring and Ragone the next 2 from the SE to join this Boogie train?
It didn't look good there at the start of portal season. So a shoutout to Jan as well for bringing on this homerun hire and turning the portal season into a win. Hopefully this is just a crystal ball into what is possible for the Class of '26.
It didn't look good there at the start of portal season. So a shoutout to Jan as well for bringing on this homerun hire and turning the portal season into a win. Hopefully this is just a crystal ball into what is possible for the Class of '26.
I think it will be very tough to pry Ragone away from Lousiville -- her parents were both athletes there (her mom played basketball specifically). Meanwhile the path to landing Harpring will be even tougher considering she is a top 2 pick. Many terminally online people assume she is headed to ND or UConn without mention of Iowa. But landing Barrett can't hurt with either -- especially with Harpring, since they certainly already had a relationship.
I'm with you on the 4 starters and it will take time to determine the 5th starter along with who is 6th 7th 8th 9th. I lean toward Chit Chat as the 5th starter for ball handling and speed/quickness. I don't expect Journey to be in the mix for many minutes her first year with all the other players having more experience.
Yeah, probably Chit-Chat. Ball handling may very well be the decider, and given the speed of the college game, they will need her on the court. I believe you are right about Houston, but I hate discounting a player until they show up and compete. So, four players subbing the 1,2,3,4, with Stuelke bouncing over to the 5 to rest Heiden. Going to like this team.
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