Inside The Hawkeyes

REPORT: Iowa Hawkeyes Starting Guard Entering Transfer Portal

Iowa is facing an exodus following Fran McCaffery's firing.

Gavin Dorsey

Mar 12, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Brock Harding (2) celebrates after making a three-point basket during the first half against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
Mar 12, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Brock Harding (2) celebrates after making a three-point basket during the first half against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
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Just days after longtime Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery was dismissed from the program, another one of the Hawkeyes' starters is set to depart from Iowa City.

According to On3's Joe Tipton, sophomore guard Brock Harding will be entering the NCAA transfer portal. This comes after center and 2024 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Owen Freeman announced his intent to transfer on Saturday. Freeman's portal entry has a "no-contact tag."

Harding announced he would be entering the portal in a social media post on Monday.

Harding came off the bench for all 34 games in 2024, then emerged as a key contributor in 2025. The sophomore made 24 starts this season as his usage more than doubled, averaging 8.8 points, 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game on 45.4% shooting and 39.8% from deep.

In Iowa's Big Ten Tournament win over Ohio State, Harding scored 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting. More importantly, he nailed the game-winning triple, helping ice a 77-70 victory over the Buckeyes.

Harding, a 6-foot, 165-pound guard from Moline, Illinois, was ranked a three-star high school prospect by 247 Sports and the No. 5 player in Illinois in the 2023 class. He previously received offers from schools such as Drake, Colorado State, Loyola (Chicago), Saint Louis and UIC.

Iowa was Harding's lone offer from a power conference, but the guard will almost certainly receive a look from nearby schools that have seen his talents firsthand.

The transfer portal doesn't officially open until Monday, March 24. With Freeman and Harding on their way out, the next Hawkeyes coach will likely need to utilize the portal to replenish Iowa's roster for the 2025-26 season.

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Gavin Dorsey
GAVIN DORSEY

Gavin Dorsey is the lead writer for Northwestern Wildcats On SI and covers a handful of other teams in the On SI network. Before joining On SI in February 2025, he wrote for the Star Tribune and Inside NU while broadcasting college sports for both radio and television. Dorsey is a graduate of Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, where he also studied psychology. In his free time, he enjoys running and being outdoors. Dorsey is currently a freelance writer for the Associated Press, covering Chicago area sports teams.

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