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Iowa football transfer portal tracker: Who's leaving, joining in 2026?
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- Iowa football transfer portal tracker: Who's leaving, joining in 2026?
Iowa football is back to work putting the pieces together for the 2026 season. The two-week NCAA transfer portal window for Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision football players opened at midnight ET on Friday, Jan. 2 and runs through Jan. 16.
Historically, the Hawkeyes haven't lived in the portal, opting instead to rely on developing players in-house and then supplementing them in the portal. Of course, quarterback Mark Gronowski was a big transfer portal addition ahead of the 2025 season, so Iowa has made some splashes over the years.
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With the transfer portal open and players staying and going, there's a lot to try to keep track of. Our Iowa football transfer portal tracker will keep fans up to date on all of the players that have made decisions to either enter the transfer portal from Iowa or to join Iowa's program via the transfer portal:
Committed to Iowa football: DT Emmanuel Olagbaju
Emmanuel Olagbaju, an Osseo, Minn., native, joins Iowa with two seasons of eligibility remaining. Olagbaju totaled 11 tackles, four quarterback hurries, three tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
Prior to the 2025 season at North Dakota , Olagbaju spent two seasons at St. Thomas where he appeared in four games. In 2024, Olagbaju recorded nine tackles and a tackle for loss in a pair of games played. Olagbaju missed the rest of that season with an injury.
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On3 ranks Olagbaju as a three-star transfer and as the 162nd-ranked defensive lineman.
Committed to Iowa football: WR Evan James
Evan James, a 5-foot-11, 170-pound receiver, reeled in 65 passes for 796 yards to lead Furman in receiving during his true freshman season. James had seven receiving touchdowns, and also ran for 72 yards and a score in nine games. James was named an FCS freshman All-American.
Committed to Iowa football: S Xavier Styles
A 6-foot-2, 190-pound safety, Xavier Styles joins the Hawkeyes after tallying 42 tackles, seven passes defended, two forced fumbles, and an interception last season at Robert Morris.
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Committed to Iowa football: RB L.J. Phillips Jr.
A 5-foot-9, 225-pound running back, L.J. Phillips Jr. led the FCS in rushing with 1,920 yards on 295 carries and 19 touchdowns. Phillips also added 28 catches for 195 yards with a touchdown. The Wichita Northwest product was a first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association.
Committed to Iowa football: WR Tony Diaz
Tony Diaz, a 5-foot-11, 176-pound receiver out of San Marcos, Texas, reeled in 67 grabs for 881 yards and 11 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman for UT Rio Grande Valley .
Committed to Iowa football: S Tyler Brown
Tyler Brown, a 5-foot-10, 193-pounder from Annapolis, Md., totaled 80 tackles (40 solo, 40 assisted), six pass breakups, five tackles for loss, one sack and one interception in 14 games for the Dukes at safety in 2025. Brown was also an honorable mention All-Sun Belt selection.
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Committed to Iowa football: DE Lance Ingold
A 6-foot-5, 255-pound defensive lineman, Lance Ingold joins the black and gold with three seasons of eligibility remaining.
Ingold appeared in six games for Northern Illinois in 2025, posting 17 tackles, two tackles for loss, two quarterback hurries, 1.5 sacks, and one forced fumble. The Rochester, Ill., native notched a career-high seven tackles against Mississippi State in November. Per Pro Football Focus , Ingold generated 11 pressures in 2025.
Committed to Iowa football: IOL Trent Wilson
A 6-foot-4, 300-pound offensive lineman, Trent Wilson made one start at guard and saw nearly 400 snaps at left and right guard during his true freshman season at James Madison .
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Committed to Iowa football: EDGE Kahmari Brown
A 6-foot-2, 220-pound defensive lineman, Brown notched 66 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and 12 sacks this season in 12 games played this season at Elon . During the 2024 season, Brown was a freshman All-American by FCS Football Central, Stats Perform and Phil Steele.
Committed to Iowa football: DT Brice Stevenson
A 6-foot-1, 295-pound defensive tackle, Brice Stevenson played in 32 games and started 28 at Holy Cross, totaling 84 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss. In 2025, the Berkeley Prep product from Tampa, Fla., registered 37 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss.
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Committed to Iowa football: K Eli Ozick
A transfer from North Dakota State , Eli Ozick joins the program as the Hawkeyes lose longtime kicker Drew Stevens . In his NDSCU career, Ozick was 19-for-23 on field goal tries with a long of 54 yards. Ozick was 16-of-18 on field goal tries this past season and is 66-of-67 on PAT tries.
Committed to Iowa football: S Anthony Hawkins
A 6-foot-3, 195-pound redshirt freshman defensive back, Hawkins started 15 games for Villanova this past season, totaling 59 tackles, 11 passes defensed, four tackles for loss, two interceptions and one forced fumble. The safety was an FCS Freshman All-American at Villanova.
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Entered transfer portal from Iowa: DB CJ Bell, Jr.
CJ Bell, Jr., a 6-foot-1, 186-pound product of Mansfield High School, in Mansfield, Massachusetts, was a three-star recruit ranked as the No. 97 cornerback in the class of 2025, per 247Sports.
Entered transfer portal from Iowa: S Koen Entringer
Koen Entringer, who started all 13 games and was a permanent defensive captain for the Hawkeyes, entered the transfer portal. The 6-foot-1, 211-pound defensive back ranked third on the Hawkeyes with 73 tackles, had 3.5 tackles for loss, four pass breakups, one quarterback hurry, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in 2025.
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Entered transfer portal from Iowa: DE Brian Allen
A 6-foot-3, 264-pound defensive end, Brian Allen departs Iowa after appearing in 28 games and registering 34 tackles, five tackles for loss and 3 1/2 sacks across three seasons.
Entered transfer portal from Iowa: RB Jaziun Patterson
A 5-foot-10, 210-pound running back out of Pompano Beach, Florida, Jaziun Patterson revealed his decision to enter the transfer portal after playing in 34 games, making two starts and totaling 858 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.
Entered transfer portal from Iowa: P Rhys Dakin
Rhys Dakin punted 42 times in 2025, averaging 43.6 yards per punt with a long of 65 yards. That average was slightly down from his freshman year, when he was an All-Big Ten third-team selection by the media and a second-team selection by the coaches. Dakin averaged 44.1 yards per boot in 2024-25.
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Entered transfer portal from Iowa: DB Kael Kolarik
Iowa safety Kael Kolarik announced his transfer portal entry after appearing in 41 games and tallying 13 tackles during his time with the Hawkeyes.
Entered transfer portal from Iowa: RB Terrell Washington Jr.
A 5-foot-10, 208-pound running back from Wylie, Texas, Terrell Washington Jr. was the Hawkeyes' first running back to enter the transfer portal. Washington, a redshirt sophomore, will have two seasons of eligibility remaining after appearing in 26 games, starting three and rushing 49 times for 182 yards in his Iowa career. Washington caught 10 passes for 51 yards and a touchdown in Iowa City.
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Entered transfer portal from Iowa: QB Jackson Stratton
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Iowa football transfer portal tracker: Who's leaving, joining in 2026?
