Where Iowa stands at wide receiver in second week of winter transfer portal window

IOWA CITY - Iowa’s offense has received some help from the transfer portal at quarterback and tight end.

Ex-Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara committed to Iowa on Dec. 1, and his former roommate and tight end Erick All Jr. joined him with a commitment earlier this week.

Now with McNamara and All on board, Iowa’s wide receiver situation is especially in the spotlight about a quarter of the way through the first transfer portal window.

Seth Anderson and Isaac TeSlaa have been two of the Hawkeyes’ top transfer portal targets at wide receiver.

Anderson, the son of former NFL wide receiver Willie “Flipper” Anderson, has been at Charleston Southern for the last two seasons. After redshirting in 2021, he led the Buccaneers with 612 receiving yards and was second on the team with 42 catches.

Head coach Kirk Ferentz and wide receivers coach Kelton Copeland visited Anderson at his home Tuesday. He is scheduled to visit Iowa this weekend, per Rivals and 247Sports.

He received an offer and home visit from Georgia Tech earlier this week, and several smaller FBS programs have also offered him.

Isaac TeSlaa, meanwhile, has been a coveted wide receiver transferring from Hillsdale College, a Division II school. Wisconsin, Baylor and Miami (Fla.) have all offered TeSlaa since his visit to Iowa City last weekend.

Whether any wide receivers from Michigan follow McNamara and All to Iowa might not be clear for another few weeks. Aside from injured players like McNamara or All, anyone who enters the transfer portal from Michigan at this point would be losing the opportunity to compete for a national championship.

Adding at wide receiver via the transfer portal is especially important considering the Hawkeyes’ recent attrition and consequential lack of depth at the position.

Since the start of the 2021 season, Iowa has lost six scholarship wide receivers to the transfer portal. Charlie Jones, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Desmond Hutson and Quavon Matthews departed during or after the 2021 season.

Keagan Johnson and Arland Bruce IV have departed in the weeks following the 2022 season. Johnson has committed to Kansas State, and Bruce is taking an official visit to Mississippi State this weekend and already visited Arkansas.

Three scholarship players are expected to return for Iowa — Diante Vines, Brody Brecht and Jacob Bostick. Another three under scholarship — Alex Mota, Jarriett Buie and Dayton Howard — will be coming in as incoming freshmen.

The Vines-Brecht duo combined to grab 17 receptions for 158 yards in the 2022 regular season. Bostick did not have any targets, and the only walk-on to catch a pass was Iowa City Regina graduate Alec Wick.

Nico Ragaini, who has his extra COVID-19 year of eligibility available, has not announced yet whether he will stay for 2023. If he spends a sixth season in Iowa City, the 2023 bowl game would be about a month before his 25th birthday.

Other positions of need for the Hawkeyes include offensive line, linebacker and defensive back.

Athletes, except for graduate transfers and those undergoing coaching changes, have until Jan. 18 to enter the transfer portal. A second portal window will open May 1 and last until May 15.

They do not need to commit to a new school during the windows although waiting too long may lead to fewer options as others accept scholarship offers.

“A couple months from now, how many guys are going to be homeless in terms of leaving a scholarship situation and then ending up without one?” Ferentz said earlier this month.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com