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NEWS: Jordan Williams to enter transfer portal after one season at Iowa

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Tanner Lafever

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Jan 4, 2024
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(I know you guys are all over this in the ongoing transfer portal thread, but just adding this so that the news is in the title somewhere.)

Just 367 days after announcing his transfer to Iowa, Jordan Williams has announced he'll be re-entering the transfer portal to head elsewhere for his final year of eligibility:



Williams finished 8-7 in his lone season as a Hawkeye - granted five of those losses came against the eventual first, second, third, fifth and seventh-place finishers at 157 pounds at NCAAs. He was also Iowa's lone champion among the few starting-caliber options it sent to this year's Soldier Salute.

Ultimately, Victor Voinovich was given the nod for Iowa at 157 entering the postseason but did not qualify for NCAAs after placing (I think) ninth at the Big Ten Championships.
 
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Sabula

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Tanner Lafever said:
(I know you guys are all over this in the ongoing transfer portal thread, but just adding this so that the news is in the title somewhere.)

Just 367 days after announcing his transfer to Iowa, Jordan Williams has announced he'll be re-entering the transfer portal to head elsewhere for his final year of eligibility:



Williams finished 8-7 in his lone season as a Hawkeye - granted five of those losses came against the eventual first, second, third, fifth and seventh-place finishers at 157 pounds at NCAAs. He was also Iowa's lone champion among the few starting-caliber options it sent to this year's Soldier Salute.

Ultimately, Victor Voinovich was given the nod for Iowa at 157 entering the postseason but did not qualify for NCAAs after placing (I think) ninth at the Big Ten Championships.
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Yeah, when there was a guy that started over you and he couldn't even qualify for the nattys, and is still there, and the portal looms large at that weight...the tea leaves don't take a lot to be able to read. Good luck wherever he lands.
 
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MVPFAN

Senior
Mar 10, 2003
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It was pretty obvious VV didn't give them the best chance to win. I'm not however privy to any issues not directly wrestling related that may or may not have impacted the decision. It doesn't take a genius to know that Williams would be hitting the road as a result of the choice which may have been part of the consideration.
 
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Tanner Lafever

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FYI: By my (spotty) math, this leaves the projected roster at 29/30 spots for 2026-27.

(I'm sure those numbers will fluctuate quite a bit in the days/weeks to come.)
 
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MSU158

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Wasn't it pretty much common knowledge that Jordan basically quit at the end? I see many piling on Tom, but the "more fight" line wasn't all that veiled if you could read between the lines. One thing Brands doesn't do is blast specific wrestlers in public.

But, it is glaringly obvious that he didn't just pick Voinovich over Williams. Jordan IS the reason that happened...
 
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PennState1985

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MSU158 said:
Wasn't it pretty much common knowledge that Jordan basically quit at the end? I see many piling on Tom, but the "more fight" line wasn't all that veiled if you could read between the lines. One thing Brands doesn't do is blast specific wrestlers in public.

But, it is glaringly obvious that he didn't just pick Voinovich over Williams. Jordan IS the reason that happened...
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Agree, JW has squandered his career so far. No one else needs to be blamed.
 
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AndreTheHawk

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MVPFAN said:
It was pretty obvious VV didn't give them the best chance to win. I'm not however privy to any issues not directly wrestling related that may or may not have impacted the decision. It doesn't take a genius to know that Williams would be hitting the road as a result of the choice which may have been part of the consideration.
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"Impacted the decision"? Watching Williams attempt to wrestle on occasion CLEARLY impacted Tom Brands the same way it did me. Williams showed Tom Brands who he was throughout the year, then Tom Brands showed Jordan Williams who he was. Ultimately and correctly out the door.

This is the best portal news for Iowa Wrestling since we got Stephen Buchanan. 2026 is off to a great start.
 
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TarpHawk1

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Jul 6, 2025
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Tom showed:
(a) he's the boss
(b) proving you're the boss is more important than finding ways to motivate your athletes
(c) proving you're the boss is more important than putting your best team on the mat at NCAAs, which may have something to do with why you've only scored 100 points at NCAAs once in the past decade

"My way or the highway" apparently worked with Gabe Arnold, so credit where credit is due. It just hasn't worked overall.

"I'm gonna figure out what makes you tick and target my coaching to meet you where you are" worked well for Gable.

Williams and Brands are equally to blame here.
 
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MSU158

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TarpHawk1 said:
Tom showed:
(a) he's the boss
(b) proving you're the boss is more important than finding ways to motivate your athletes
(c) proving you're the boss is more important than putting your best team on the mat at NCAAs, which may have something to do with why you've only scored 100 points at NCAAs once in the past decade

"My way or the highway" apparently worked with Gabe Arnold, so credit where credit is due. It just hasn't worked overall.

"I'm gonna figure out what makes you tick and target my coaching to meet you where you are" worked well for Gable.

Williams and Brands are equally to blame here.
Click to expand...
You know this to be true, or, it fits better with your dislike of Brands as a coach? Jordan doesn't exactly have the greatest track record, starting well before Iowa. Is it not possible that Brands tried very hard to find a way to reach Jordan and it simply wasn't possible?
 
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T8KUDWN

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May 2, 2025
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DuckUnder said:
Don't blame him... he would have qualified for Nattys and won a few matches... going with VV was a very dumb decision, hes a room guy, not a guy you wanna have in your line up at the end of the yr, especially when you have a guy like williams who can beat about anyone,,, but can also lose to about anyone
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I was happy Tom went with VV over Williams. Watching Williams compete was extremely painful. I was not excited at all when he decided to follow Bailey to Iowa and was exactly what I thought we would see out of him. I want our guys to win every match, but I'd rather see a guy who gives effort and actually tries to win over someone who is capable but has no fight or mental focus.
 
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chipackhawk

All-Conference
Jan 10, 2018
465
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Tanner Lafever said:
(I know you guys are all over this in the ongoing transfer portal thread, but just adding this so that the news is in the title somewhere.)

Just 367 days after announcing his transfer to Iowa, Jordan Williams has announced he'll be re-entering the transfer portal to head elsewhere for his final year of eligibility:



Williams finished 8-7 in his lone season as a Hawkeye - granted five of those losses came against the eventual first, second, third, fifth and seventh-place finishers at 157 pounds at NCAAs. He was also Iowa's lone champion among the few starting-caliber options it sent to this year's Soldier Salute.

Ultimately, Victor Voinovich was given the nod for Iowa at 157 entering the postseason but did not qualify for NCAAs after placing (I think) ninth at the Big Ten Championships.
Click to expand...

So essentially what you are saying is that Williams was a fringe All-American candidate - maybe. Since he lost to everyone else inside of the top 8, except #8 with an outcome we will never know. He quit at the end of several matches either physically or mentally. I hope he can turn it around, but I'm glad Iowa will not be a test dummy again.
 
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A Fistful of Hawkeyes

A Fistful of Hawkeyes

Senior
Sep 20, 2018
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TarpHawk1 said:
Tom showed:
(a) he's the boss
(b) proving you're the boss is more important than finding ways to motivate your athletes
(c) proving you're the boss is more important than putting your best team on the mat at NCAAs, which may have something to do with why you've only scored 100 points at NCAAs once in the past decade

"My way or the highway" apparently worked with Gabe Arnold, so credit where credit is due. It just hasn't worked overall.

"I'm gonna figure out what makes you tick and target my coaching to meet you where you are" worked well for Gable.

Williams and Brands are equally to blame here.
Click to expand...
 
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chipackhawk

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Hawkgma_rivals322369 said:
i did see enough matches to also come to the conclusion that he tends to quit during a match when it gets tough. I also think he would of won some matches at the NCAAs this year.
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Both can be and likely are true. As a coach/leader sometimes a statement needs to be made. Like TNT or not, this was the correct choice for the long haul and for a coach that we all thought was on the hot seat, a tough one to make. My guess is that the vast majority of those actually in the room agreed with it.
 
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Bones Malone

Bones Malone

Freshman
Jan 21, 2019
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I’d agree with Hawkgma. Both can be true. Coaches make tough decisions based on what’s best for the team/program. We’re not in the room, so who knows what’s been taking place behind the scenes. This is exactly why I avoid criticizing coaches on some aspects.

That said, barring injury, lack of offensive aggression and not being in shape are absolutely inexcusable for an Iowa wrestler and I don’t care if it’s the 1st match of the year or the last…
Speaking of “injuries”, athletes in top shape through weight training and conditioning are also less susceptible to injury. I’ll be critical when Hawks lack these aspects every day of the week.
 
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Kohawks99

Sophomore
Jan 3, 2023
52
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TarpHawk1 said:
Tom showed:
(a) he's the boss
(b) proving you're the boss is more important than finding ways to motivate your athletes
(c) proving you're the boss is more important than putting your best team on the mat at NCAAs, which may have something to do with why you've only scored 100 points at NCAAs once in the past decade

"My way or the highway" apparently worked with Gabe Arnold, so credit where credit is due. It just hasn't worked overall.

"I'm gonna figure out what makes you tick and target my coaching to meet you where you are" worked well for Gable.

Williams and Brands are equally to blame here.
Click to expand...
Certainly doesn't feel like 'my way or the highway,' but more of a "These are the standards of this program and you aren't living up to them. We'll help you figure it out, but if you can't, then you don't deserve the opportunity to be a part of this program."
 
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Mattski

Mattski

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MSU158 said:
Wasn't it pretty much common knowledge that Jordan basically quit at the end? I see many piling on Tom, but the "more fight" line wasn't all that veiled if you could read between the lines. One thing Brands doesn't do is blast specific wrestlers in public.

But, it is glaringly obvious that he didn't just pick Voinovich over Williams. Jordan IS the reason that happened...
Click to expand...
No, we were told repeatedly by many on here (including you if I recall) it was bc of injury and Tom would have wrestled JW otherwise.
 
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maxpain

All-American
Jul 6, 2006
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Mc11 said:
It remains very odd that JW toed the line for the toughest matchups throughout the season, including a 5-1 loss to the eventual national champion in the final dual meet of the season.
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Agreed.

And my point the whole time was that had an impact on the fan perception of Williams. We will never know how the perception might have changed of each guy if their competition schedules were reversed or if Williams also competed against the lower level guys. It also might have helped his confidence/body language.

We don’t know what we don’t know so what may have happened in the practice room could or elsewhere is a different topic.

Just my opinion on the matter. Doesn’t matter at this point.
 
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Libertylover

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PennState1985 said:
Agree, JW has squandered his career so far. No one else needs to be blamed.
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Transferring to 4th school in 5 years says it all. I know TnT are always willing to take on a challenge with certain wrestlers. Sometimes it works out, like Desantos, sometimes it doesn’t like Williams. Maybe he should go to Lockhaven?
 
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DuckUnder

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Jul 12, 2025
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T8KUDWN said:
I was happy Tom went with VV over Williams. Watching Williams compete was extremely painful. I was not excited at all when he decided to follow Bailey to Iowa and was exactly what I thought we would see out of him. I want our guys to win every match, but I'd rather see a guy who gives effort and actually tries to win over someone who is capable but has no fight or mental focus.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it worked out great... watching VV go 0-2 in conference was inspiring
 
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