Fran McCaffery's firing opens 30-day transfer portal for Iowa

Iowa fired men’s basketball head coach Fran McCaffery on Friday afternoon, according to On3’s Joe Tipton, ending his 15-year tenure with the Hawkeyes. McCaffery is the school’s all-time wins leader with 297, but he finished 2024-25 with a 17-16 record and 7-13 in the Big Ten.

The Hawkeyes went to seven NCAA Tournaments under McCaffery but never reached a Sweet 16. Iowa lost 11 of its next 14 games after a 12-4 start this season. With Iowa deciding to move on from McCaffery, the 30-day transfer portal will open for Iowa players nine days before the official college basketball transfer portal opens for business. The basketball portal window is shorter than it was a year ago, down to 30 days, meaning Iowa players will get a jump start.

NCAA rules allow athletes on a team with a coaching change to enter the portal the day after the change. In this case, Iowa athletes can enter starting Saturday. Roster retention will be 1B to finding a successor to McCaffery.

According to the NCAA, the portal opens for business on Monday, March 24, and closes on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. The national championship game will be played on April 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

Iowa Head Coach Hot Board

With the one-time transfer rule, athletes can play immediately at new schools. Plus, multi-time transfers who enter will be eligible to play immediately at a new school in the 2025-26 academic year.

Iowa has seen four players selected in the NBA draft since 2021, including first-rounders Keegan Murray and Kris Murray. Leading scorer Owen Freeman is only a sophomore, averaging 16.7 points per game. Junior Josh Dix (14.4 points per game) also has remaining eligibility.

The Hawkeyes currently have the No. 43 recruiting class in 2025 with three commitments.