2027 Recruiting

[NORTHSTAR]

If there is someone on here that can list for sure where Iowa stands on NIL money vs. the rest of the teams, please post the facts or stop with posting what you think or someone else has stated, without proof, and there are a couple of you, so give us the facts, or else stop.

 

[pablow]

Good Lord dude, chill. Okay, I AM an old has been, okay? Please explain WHY some 20yr old girl would care about what Iowa women's basketball or the University was doing 100 years ago? Do you really believe that's what they would base their decisions on? I have a granddaughter who just went to college, and two sons who played basketball in college and I'm pretty sure that would not have resonated with any of them when they were making a decision on where to go to college, or what team to play for.

I missed the "me" in has beens.

 

[citizenHawk1]

None of this stuff happens in a vacuum.
The staff needs to consider where they are with potential HS recruits, how that fits with incoming players. They also need to consider the players currently on the team and how roster changes affect that team ecosystem. Jensen is in a process of upgrading the roster's overall talent, but she was smart enough to do it in small increments. This is only her second portal cycle where this balance can be considered for overall recruiting.

tl/dr
Just relax. Things have been trending up.

 

[SCHawkFan]

[If we didn't have Woliczko, we could afford 2 or 3 more "5 star" kids (or near that caliber) as well.]

That's exactly the point. Iowa has the money to get ONE 5-star recruit and ONE top player in the Portal (and that's more money than the vast majority of programs have available), but there are many teams with more money than that, just look at the roster, just look at how much slower things happen in Iowa. Don't tell me Jan is being selective, the money simply is short. Texas recruited FOUR 5-star recruits in the 2026 class, and you still think MAYBE Texas has more money? Sorry, but you're choosing to be delusional. Iowa does have money, but there are MANY teams with more money than Iowa, just look at the rosters. Heiden doesn't get the 1.4M that Audi gets, OBVIOUSLY. Many teams are sweeping the Portal. Iowa has NEVER recruited two 5-stars and has never signed more than one top player in the Portal. Many teams have done it, and Iowa NEVER has because they DON'T HAVE THE MONEY to do it. Simple as that. And we know Dani came to Iowa because of Coach Barrett and Chit Chat, not because of money. Woliczko didn't come because of money either. Iowa needs more money to have a better team, that's as clear as day. Only those who choose not to see it, preferring to be delusional, can't see it.

Don't forget, that had to bump Ava’s pay. She probably makes the most on this team now. Strem, Chat, and Journey all got a bump as well.

 

[hawkbr]

Don't forget, that had to bump Ava’s pay. She probably makes the most on this team now. Strem, Chat, and Journey all got a bump as well.

Is that why Iowa only has enough money to pay 8 players so far? And is that why they're going to fill a few more spots with players who don't cost much money? Probably yes, right? Even with the money available from Hannah, Kylie, McCabe, Deal, Johnson, Levin, Jada, Mallegni, and Rodriguez, it still doesn't seem like there's enough money to sign three or four top players on the transfer portal, like many programs are doing. We sign one top player, great, but then the money runs out.This just confirms that Iowa has little money available. I hope the situation changes, because Iowa is such a marketable brand that a good business team could turn Iowa into a goldmine.

 

[SCHawkFan]

Is that why Iowa only has enough money to pay 8 players so far? And is that why they're going to fill a few more spots with players who don't cost much money? Probably yes, right? Even with the money available from Hannah, Kylie, McCabe, Deal, Johnson, Levin, Jada, Mallegni, and Rodriguez, it still doesn't seem like there's enough money to sign three or four top players on the transfer portal, like many programs are doing. We sign one top player, great, but then the money runs out.This just confirms that Iowa has little money available. I hope the situation changes, because Iowa is such a marketable brand that a good business team could turn Iowa into a goldmine.

Seriously? No team is going to pay their 9-12 players a lot of money. Of course, for most college kids, $75K is not bad, and $50-$75K is what end-of-the-benchers at Iowa will get. Iowa is in good shape roster wise and financially. Soon, maybe by next week, the roster will be complete, and it will be much better than this past season, when they won 27 games.

 

[Omahawk57]

Seriously? No team is going to pay their 9-12 players a lot of money. Of course, for most college kids, $75K is not bad, and $50-$75K is what end-of-the-benchers at Iowa will get. Iowa is in good shape roster wise and financially. Soon, maybe by next week, the roster will be complete, and it will be much better than this past season, when they won 27 games.

The roster will not be complete by next week. Visitor from Georgia potentially to commit Monday. Three more likely needed to have 12. That will run well into May. Process is slow when 1500 players in the portal and 1000 unsigned.

 

[fish1hawk]

We have I think a pretty solid 8 players that can play at this level. By conference time, the rotation will be around 8 in most games unless blowouts. Sure would be nice to have some spares in case of injury or illness I get it. But portal recruiting is a two way street. What would be good for us vs what the player thinks will best for her. Most I would guess want to play

 

[hawkbr]

Seriously? No team is going to pay their 9-12 players a lot of money. Of course, for most college kids, $75K is not bad, and $50-$75K is what end-of-the-benchers at Iowa will get. Iowa is in good shape roster wise and financially. Soon, maybe by next week, the roster will be complete, and it will be much better than this past season, when they won 27 games.

Iowa's financial situation is good, but it could be better. South Carolina, UConn, LSU, USC, UCLA, Notre Dame, Texas, Oklahoma, OSU, TCU, Ole Miss, Duke, and Kentucky have a lot of money, but even with less money than at least 10 programs, Iowa managed to assemble a good team with 8 players, despite losing 6 player. I hope we can reach the Elite Eight (and Iowa would probably be the team with the least money among them), I just wish things were easier, that the financial situation was even better. Iowa is a huge brand, we should be one of the five programs with the most money, but obviously we aren't, but still, with limited money we can reach the Elite Eight, which would be a great achievement.

 

[Amahawk]

Even a sweet 16 would be nice.

 

[the24fan]

First of all, I'm not sure you grasp how expensive Dani Carnegie is. She is not just a 5 star player -- and not all 5 star players cost the same. As a first-team All-SEC player she is one of the most expensive players in the country -- ESPN ranks her as the 3rd biggest get in the portal. She could very well be the 3rd most expensive player in the portal as well. She likely costs as much as 3 (maybe 4) typical 5 star players. Being a 5 star player does not mean you automatically command as much money as you want.

Most programs could not afford Carnegie -- because she costs as much as 3 or 4 other players. Same with Woliczko -- few players command as much money as she does as a freshman but Jan thinks she is worth it. In contrast, Addie Deal is commanding no more than 1/3 of what Woliczko commands -- her 5 star rating isn't doing much for her. There are plenty of 5 star players out there who didn't live up to their ranking and they're not getting paid as much as they want. That's why they're all transferring--but like Deal, many will learn that your performance on the court commands portal money, not your HS ranking. Kaelynn Carroll, recent name that popped up in Hawkeye recruiting circles, is another example -- she was ranked in the Top 15 by ESPN, was barely a blip for KY this season. She'll be lucky to get $250k at this point. That's why she was recently linked with Iowa -- Iowa had gotten to the point where we're not spending anymore than that on any players, and so they got talking.

You're likely also underestimating how much Jan is paying Heiden. Heiden would probably command almost as much as Audi Crooks if she entered the portal because athletic centers are hard to come by. She should be getting paid at least as much as Woliczko, in my estimation. My guess is Jan is also compensating Chat very well. Woliczko, Heiden, Carnegie and Chat -- 4 of our players -- likely command at least $2 million per season. In contrast, Iowa State only has $1 million and change to work with total.

None of Michigan, Vandy, Maryland, Kentucky, UNC, Duke, or Ole Miss (nor Oklahoma State, usually) have that much money. Michigan lost their entire roster 2 seasons ago because of it -- fans knew it and were complaining about it all over the internet. I don't know what they're paying Olsen and Swords but I'd be shocked if it's overly impressive. There's a reason they haven't been able to recruit a real big to play alongside their stellar guards and I think it's because they don't have the money for it.

The only other schools that definitely have more money for WBB than Iowa are South Carolina, UConn, LSU, TCU, Oklahoma, and maybe Texas (just assuming, never heard real numbers that prove this). All of these schools recruit well because their coach is good at recruiting and their brands have far more cachet than Iowa. If a coach has ever made the Final Four (i.e., Kentucky), it's much easier to get a top kid to look at you. Jan is always going to be playing catch-up until/unless she can do so as well.

Newsflash, Iowa didn't get many 5 star players before revenue sharing. We *are* getting them now, because we have an AD that understands the value of WBB and is willing to invest in it (I know Lucy Olsen and Carnegie weren't 5 stars, but they cost as much as a 5 star and perform like 5 stars, so I'm counting them all the same). That's helping us get over the hump(s). But we're not going to start recruiting like UConn overnight. It's not just money, it never has been and never will be in WBB. WBB recruiting is still deeply intwined with networking and AAU teams and relationships. Look at what Lasondra has done for us with Chat and Dani.

That's also a big part of TCU's draw. Campbell developed Sabrina Ionescu and is known as an elite guard coach. Kids like playing for him, families believe their kids are in good hands. Jan is still proving herself and finding her footing in many ways, including along the lines of building relationships. Barrett is a huge boost for that. Another thing about TCU is that they do kill it in the portal but they also don't really recruit high school kids. They have more turn-over and therefore more money becoming available every year. If we didn't have Woliczko, we could afford 2 or 3 more "5 star" kids (or near that caliber) as well. That doesn't mean that they'd collectively be better than Woliczko though. Clearly Jan doesn't think that's the case.

 

[hawkbr]

Even a sweet 16 would be nice.

For a team that stopped in the R32 for two consecutive years, reaching the Sweet 16 would certainly be an improvement, but I think Iowa deserves much more than that. However, in the current situation, to go further, they need more money, and that's what I'm advocating for: better and higher positions for Iowa. To argue that everything should remain as it is and that we don't need more money to improve is to accept that the R32, or maybe the Sweet 16, is enough for Iowa. For me, it isn't. I want Iowa in the Final Four again, at least in the Elite Eight, and for that we need a better team, and a better team costs more money.

 

[Jonesy5960]

For a team that stopped in the R32 for two consecutive years, reaching the Sweet 16 would certainly be an improvement, but I think Iowa deserves much more than that. However, in the current situation, to go further, they need more money, and that's what I'm advocating for: better and higher positions for Iowa. To argue that everything should remain as it is and that we don't need more money to improve is to accept that the R32, or maybe the Sweet 16, is enough for Iowa. For me, it isn't. I want Iowa in the Final Four again, at least in the Elite Eight, and for that we need a better team, and a better team costs more money.

They have a team that is capable of reaching the Elite 8 or Final 4 today. It will already be a much better top 8 players than the one that started/finished this year and came in second place in the B1G. At the guard spots CCW and Stremlow will have another year of experience and Carnegie and Whiting have shown against good competition that they are much better players than KF and Deal were. At the forward position Ava, Journey, and Layla will all have another year of experience and McKenna is coming in as one of the top 5 or 10 freshmen in the country. Hannah was great on the boards and defensively, but her offensive limitations were well documented, and it impacted not only herself, but others as well in terms of floor spacing and keeping defenders off of Ava in the lane.

Espn had Iowa at no 9 and The Athletic had them at number 10 in the preseason rankings before the portal opened. Given the additions of Carnegie and Whiting I would expect Iowa to start next season with a top 8 preseason ranking.