Recruiting mailbag: Will Iowa football dip into the NCAA transfer portal?

Hello, everyone. Welcome, once again, to the recruiting mailbag.

High school basketball is finally pretty much a full go for Iowa's large-class schools now, so you can expect to see us releasing Super 10 rankings starting next week.

The top-ranked team on the boys' side, Waukee, had a pretty impressive second half on Monday against rival Dowling Catholic. Get this: Tucker DeVries, Payton Sandfort, Omaha Biliew, Pryce Sandfort and the Warriors led the Maroons by just two points at halftime ... before outscoring Dowling 31-8 in the third quarter to put the game away.

So Waukee will be No. 1 this coming on Monday, unless Johnston (and the Dragons are actually pretty darn good, too) or Des Moines Roosevelt pulls off an upset.

A team that's really opening eyes down in Class 3A is Davenport Assumption. Texas signee Emarion Ellis is logging 18.4 points per game and has led the Knights to recent wins over Dubuque Hempstead and Davenport North, our preseason Nos. 7 and 5 teams, respectively.

There are lots of good teams to keep eyes on this winter.

For now, let's get to this week's questions, which focus on Drake big-man recruiting, an intriguing prospect in Ames not named Tamin Lipsey, whether Biliew will stay in Iowa for college, where Iowa stands with top target Michael Myslinski and whether the Hawkeyes will dip into the transfer portal for football help this offseason.

Will Iowa football dip into the transfer portal for help?

Why the heck not?

The Hawkeyes, no doubt, like every other program in the country, will keep their eyes glued to the NCAA transfer portal this offseason to see if there's anybody who fits one of their recruiting needs. Last year, Indiana offensive lineman Coy Cronk and Northern Illinois defensive lineman Jack Heflin rose to that level. 

If Iowa misses out on Arizona running back Eli Sanders, perhaps that's a position coaches will look at. Rutgers running back Kay'Ron Adams recently entered the portal — the Hawkeyes recruited him heavily out of high school. Adams rushed 35 times for 159 yards and a touchdown this fall. Iowa is losing a couple huge receiver contributors in Brandon Smith and Ihmir Smith-Marsette, so that could be a position to watch, as well. 

One name to keep an eye on would be Northwestern defensive end Eku Leota. He was a star for the Wildcats this year, with a team-best four sacks; one of those came in the 21-20 win at Iowa. He will be a popular target in the portal, and Iowa is among the many schools with interest.

Is Drake looking at any big men for the next few classes?

Yes.

In 2021, Drake is currently looking at Sam Thompson, a 6-foot-10 big man out of Francis Howell in St. Louis. The Bulldogs have monitored him since last spring, and he's having a strong senior season; he just piled up 55 points in a game Dec. 28. He holds a handful of low- to mid-major offers, including from Missouri State.

In 2022, the Bulldogs like Cameron Fens, a 6-10 post out of Dubuque Hempstead and the son of a former Northern Illinois big man. Fens didn't play varsity last year, but he has generated buzz for a while as the most promising center in Iowa's 2022 class, and I had him No. 7 in our latest in-state 2022 recruiting rankings this season.

Through the Mustangs' first four games, he's averaging 7.8 points (on a 54.5% shooting clip) and 6.8 rebounds. Belmont, South Dakota State, Northern Iowa, South Dakota and Princeton are among the other schools that have shown early interest.

What’s the deal with Ames’ Trevion LaBeaux?

Nothing. He just can't play until Jan. 18 because of Iowa's transfer rules.

The 6-4 walking highlight reel transferred over the offseason from Waterloo East to play alongside Tamin Lipsey at Ames for their final two seasons. 

I've got LaBeaux at No. 9 in the latest 2022 rankings, mostly because of his 'tweener size and still-in-progress shooting abilities. Still, he's probably the best athlete in the 2022 class. His natural leaping abilities make him a high-level rebounder. His stock will only rise as his shooting improves. That's why schools such as North Dakota, South Dakota State, Nebraska-Omaha and Northern Iowa all all paying attention.

With the Iowa men’s basketball team finding success, do you think they’ll be able to compete with the blue bloods for Omaha Biliew?

At this point, I would be surprised if Waukee five-star sophomore Omaha Biliew played his college basketball in Iowa — if he plays college basketball at all.

Remember, by the time the 2023 class graduates high school, the NBA may start allowing players to enter the draft directly from high school again. And, as a consensus five-star, top-10 prospect in the country, the 6-7 Biliew is among a group of players seen as potential straight-to-the-NBA guys, if that option is available. 

If the versatile combo forward does go to college, expect him to pick a school with a head coach who has the best track record of putting players in the NBA Draft lottery. Obviously, that's a ways off, and it's unfair to put NBA expectations on someone who just began his sophomore season. But make no mistake: As of right now, the NBA Draft lottery is the goal.

Biliew's current offers are from Iowa, Georgia, Arkansas, Michigan, Illinois, Western Kentucky and Nebraska. Among the many schools interested in him are Kentucky, Memphis, Louisville, TCU, UCLA and USC.

With Michael Myslinski de-committing from Texas, is Iowa still a possible landing spot?

Definitely.

In fact, I'd say Iowa is in good position to land the three-star center out of Florida who was one of the Hawkeyes' top 2021 targets before he committed to the Longhorns in August. The 6-2, 285-pounder re-opened his commitment before the early signing period and released a final four of Iowa, Texas, Maryland and Michigan State.

Myslinski is similar to Tyler Linderbaum when the latter was a prospect at Solon. In high school, both were athletic, versatile, two-way linemen who could affect the game in a variety of ways. The level of success Linderbaum is having at center in Iowa City is no doubt helping the Hawkeyes in their pursuit of Myslinski.

247Sports football recruiting director Steve Wiltfong must think something similar, as he put in a projection for Iowa on Myslinski's recruiting profile on Tuesday. The "crystal ball" pick, however, only has a confidence level of 2 out of 10, meaning there's likely nothing iron-clad or set-in-stone behind his pick — just a feeling.

Matthew Bain covers recruiting and pretty much anything else under the sports sun for the Des Moines Register and USA TODAY Network.  Contact him at mbain@dmreg.com and follow him on Twitter @MatthewBain_.