The good news has been pouring in for the Iowa Hawkeyes in the world of college football and the transfer portal. Iowa has landed a total of five commitments since the close of the season, including a QB-WR duo this week that should provide a shot in the arm to Tim Lester’s offense.

But January isn’t exactly a time of year you expect to get transfer portal news in the world of college basketball. That’s exactly what Iowa fans got this week in the midst of all the football craziness as Miami freshman forward Isaiah Johnson-Arigu announced he had committed to the Hawkeyes.

Johnson-Arigu entered the transfer portal only a few days ago after former Hurricanes coach Jim Larranaga retired in late December. That retirement opened a 30-day window for all Miami players to transfer this season and Johnson-Arigu opted to do so. He will be eligible to enroll in the spring semester and begin practicing with the Hawkeyes immediately, but won’t be able to participate in games until next season.

While it’s surprising to get a transfer mid-season, it’s not necessarily surprising the Johnson-Arigu chose the Hawkeyes. After all, Iowa reportedly finished second for his services before he signed with Miami in last year’s class. A former 4-star prospect according to On3, Johnson-Arigu officially visited the Hawkeyes back in September of 2023 and considered Iowa along with Northwestern, Texas Tech and Virginia Tech before originally committing to the Canes.

Now 6’7”, the Minnesota native has a solid frame and excellent athleticism for the forward position. He’s a strong finisher who plays above the rim with regularity.

Here’s what Jamie Shaw at On3 had to say about the newest Hawkeye during the recruiting process:

“It’s the know-how with Isaiah Johnson-Arigu that you immediately notice. He seems to always been in the right place and poised to make a positive play. Standing in the 6-6 range, he uses his near 7-0 wing span to play up a lineup. Offensively, he has good touch which he uses to finish around the basket and in the mid range. He also has good court vision and processing ability. Able to line up from multiple levels, run some offense through and make reads to get players opportunities. The athleticism is a question, is a tweener forward type, will have to answer where does he guard. You like the versatility and the production.”

That hasn’t translated to significant production in his early time in Miami. In seven games so fare this season, Johnson-Arigu is averaging just 4.9 minutes per game and just .9 points per appearance. However, it’s important to recall the context that he is a freshman who had a coaching change a month into his first year on campus.

Despite the less than stellar stats early on, Johnson-Arigu is a physical specimen that will bring needed length and athleticism to Iowa City in the 2025-2026 season. He’ll surely be looking to move his production closer in line to what he put up in the prep ranks when he gets closer to home.

Here’s a quick reminder of that prep production per Ball Is Life:

Changing his role throughout the season, Johnson-Arigu became the facilitator for Totino-Grace as a 6-foot-7 point forward and yet another state title followed. Posting averages of 26.5 points, 13 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.5 steals, and 2.5 blocks in the Final Four, Isaiah showed the immense versatility and improvement that he’s made to develop into a high major prospect. After transferring from Osseo as a sophomore, Johnson-Arigu completed the journey of winning back-to-back state titles to finish his high school career.

It’s worth noting that while Iowa recruited Johnson-Arigu out of high school, they continue to recruit his former teammate, 6’6” G/F Dothan Ijadimbola of Totino-Grace HS in Minneapolis, a class of 2026 prospect. Fran McCaffery will look to keep the momentum rolling into the weekend. Iowa is set to play host to Indiana on Saturday night. They’ll have a 4-star prospect in the house to soak that in as we learned earlier this week that Joshua Lewis will be in Iowa City for the weekend.

This comes just weeks after Iowa picked up a committment from another athletic post in Indianapolis native Dezmon Briscoe.

As for Johnson-Arigu, he won’t be able to take a redshirt this season as he has already seen action in seven games. Thus, he will have four years to play three for the Hawkeyes.

Welcome aboard Isaiah Johnson-Arigu!