As Iowa heads into the third year of the Jan Jensen era, the Hawkeyes are juggling two things at once: a roster that has changed shape and a postseason itch that only grows sharper after a round-of-32 exit from the NCAA Tournament. The program brought in high-profile recruits and transfer additions to help fill the gaps, but two returners already on campus look ready to matter even more in 2026-27.
Taylor Stremlow is first in line for a bigger role. She was already a real part of the rotation last season, not some fringe piece waiting for an opening.
The Wisconsin native averaged 24 minutes per game and put up 7.9 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.9 rebounds. Just as important, Jan Jensen clearly trusts her.
Stremlow has played in 68 games with 20 starts over two years at Iowa, and that starting total should climb sharply this season.
There’s a clear path for her, too. Iowa lost Taylor McCabe and Kylie Feuerbach to eligibility, and Addie Deal transferred to Wisconsin, leaving a hole in the backcourt.
The Hawkeyes did add Amari Whiting, a transfer guard from Oklahoma State, and McKenna Woliczsko, a five-star wing, but Stremlow still has the inside track because she has already shown she can handle the job. One of the biggest openings could be on the perimeter, where Iowa needs a new primary three-point threat after McCabe and Feuerbach combined for 237 attempts that now have to be replaced.
Journey Houston is another name poised to take a noticeable step forward. The Iowa native is heading into her second season with the Hawkeyes after making an immediate impression as a true freshman.
The former four-star prospect played in 34 games and averaged 15 minutes a night, but her impact went beyond the box score. Houston averaged 5.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, and her 172 total rebounds ranked third on the team.
At 6-foot-0, Houston is not the biggest body in the paint, but she has a knack for finding the ball. That matters more now with Hannah Stuelke’s eligiblity running out. Ava Heiden is expected to be a fixture in the lineup and can rebound, but Iowa still needs someone to help fill the interior work, and Houston could be the player who carves out that role.
In Other News...
Iowa Fans Wont Love What This New QB Ranking Suggests
EA Sports College Football 27 gives Iowa plenty to like elsewhere, with a deep roster that should look familiar to anyone who has watched the Hawkeyes lean on defense, line play and overall depth. The quarterback room, though, is a different story. Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown are the names at the center of it, and the games initial ratings put both well below where Iowa would hope to be at the sports most important position.
For fans, the concern is less about a video game number than what it hints at for the real season ahead. Iowa is expected to sort through Brown or Hecklinski under center, and neither has started a game for the Hawkeyes yet. The challenge now is obvious: prove on the field that the rating is too low, and give the program a reason to believe the quarterback position can climb out of the bottom tier. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa Football Faces An Uncomfortable 2027 Recruiting Reality
Iowas 2027 recruiting picture is off to an awkward start, with the Hawkeyes sitting at the bottom of the Big Ten in the early rankings. For a program that has long made a habit of finding and developing overlooked players, the number is not exactly fatal, but it is the kind of snapshot that can make fans uneasy this far out from signing day, especially when the league table is already starting to take shape around them.
The bigger question is how much that ranking really matters in Iowa City, where Kirk Ferentzs staff has never relied on splashy recruiting alone to stay competitive. The Hawkeyes have leaned more heavily on the transfer portal to balance the roster and have shown they can still patch together a capable team even when the high school class is slow to build, but the current pace leaves plenty of room for concern until the next wave of commitments arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Top Iowa Prospect Is Coming Home After A Brutal Twist
Brett Harris had spent much of his senior year at Western Dubuque High School looking like one of Iowas most promising baseball prospects, with his play on both the baseball diamond and the football field keeping him squarely on the radar of college programs. The senior had originally committed to Ole Miss, a path that seemed to fit the kind of talent and profile he had built in Dubuque.
Instead, Harris is now headed to the University of Iowa after Ole Miss withdrew its scholarship offer, a stunning turn for a player who has kept competing while undergoing radiation treatment for a brain tumor. The move sends one of the states top prospects closer to home at a time when his athletic future has already been tested far beyond the usual recruiting drama, and it adds another layer to a story that has drawn attention well beyond the box scores. [Read more 🡒]