Tracking Iowa Hawkeye Football Transfer Portal Departures
The transfer portal frenzy has begun. We’re tracking every Hawkeye who enters.
While college football’s bowl season is still a few weeks away and we haven’t even finished the regular season with Army-Navy still on deck this weekend, we’ve officially moved into the offseason for several teams around the country. With the move to the offseason comes the opening of the first transfer portal entry window. That happened on Monday and it has not disappointed.
As of Monday night, less than 24 hours into the portal being open, nearly 1,200 players across the country had officially entered. That included more than 100 quarterbacks and a slew of high profile names from both the Big Ten and across the nation. Multiple schools saw more than a dozen players hit the portal in the first day it was open while others have seen a bit of a slower start.
For Iowa, things have been on the slower end of the spectrum to start, but that doesn’t mean the Hawkeyes are without portal entrants. We’ve heard rumblings for weeks of a few players who could be considering a change, but we saw official announcements on departures even before the portal opened up on Monday.
Iowa entered last weekend three scholarships over the limit for the 2024 season if we assume for a moment that all players who have the ability to exercise a 6th year of eligibility chose not to and all non-seniors who have the ability to go pro choose not to. Obviously, that’s not how this will play out, but from a scholarship standpoint, that’s how thing stood entering the weekend, before players started hitting the portal.
Here’s a look at every player who has announced a decision to transfer from Iowa City since that time, in chronological order.
Scholarship Transfers
Brenden Deasfernandes, CB
Brendan Deasfernandes is a redshirt junior defensive back from Belleville, Michigan. Originally a member of the 2020 recruiting class, he has one year of traditional eligibility remaining, as well as a COVID year and is immediately eligible. He finishes his Iowa career with 1 total tackle and one punt return for 0 yards, both in 2023.
Deasfernandes announced his decision before the portal officially opened on Sunday, December 3rd.
Anterio Thompson, DT
A JUCO addition from Iowa Western a season ago, Anterio Thompson is a true sophomore defensive lineman originally from Dubuque (Hempstead). He was a regular contributor for the Hawkeyes on special teams this season with a pair of punt blocks, but saw limited action at defensive tackle. He leaves Iowa with one career tackle, the two punt blocks and one return of a blocked punt for 15 yards.
Thompson was a surprise entrant when the portal opened on Monday, December 4th. He was expected to be a rotational player at DT in 2024. He will have three years to play two at his next stop. He is immediately eligible given his prior transfer was from a junior college.
Diante Vines, WR
Receiver Diante Vines became the first Iowa offensive player to enter the portal. A true junior from Danbury, Connecticut, Vines dealt with injuries throughout his career in Iowa City, but emerged as a starter for Iowa in 2023. However, he again suffered injury setbacks that cost him time down the stretch. He finishes his time in Iowa City with 22 career receptions for 228 yards and one TD.
Vines was a somewhat expected portal entrant as Iowa’s offense much left to be desired for receiving threats. The emergence of Kaleb Brown in Vines’ absence likely also played a role. Having not yet taken a redshirt season, he will have two years to play one and is immediately eligible.
Perhaps the most anticipated transfer to-date for the Hawkeyes, quarterback Joe Labas hit the portal on Tuesday morning. While the Brecksville, Ohio native led Iowa in their bowl win a season ago, he was dinged up all offseason and was beat out for the backup job by transfer QB Deacon Hill. When he then was jumped on the depth chart by freshman Marco Lainez, the writing appeared to be on the wall.
Labas leaves Iowa City with 14 career completions on 24 attempts for a total of 139 yards and one TD. A member of the 2022 recruiting class who saw game action in only the bowl game a season ago, Labas will have three years to play three and is immediately eligible.
Non-Scholarship Transfers
Jackson Filer, DE
Defensive end Jackson Filer was not on scholarship with the Hawkeyes and thus does not count toward the 85 limit, but he’s noteworthy as he transferred to Iowa last year alongside Anterio Thompson from Iowa Western after leading the JUCO ranks in sacks. He was undersized for Iowa’s defensive ends, but is clearly a talented edge rusher.
Having played two years at a JUCO and redshirting this season, Filer will have two years to play two at his next stop.
Spencer Petras, QB
This is another non-scholarship one, but worth pointing out as well. Petras is obviously well known among Hawkeye fans and has been seen on the sidelines all season as he recovered from his offseason surgery in Iowa City and served as a grad assistant for the Hawkeyes. He announced his intentions to transfer a while ago, but notably found a landing spot before the portal officially opened.
He announced on Sunday he will be transferring to Utah State. As a member of the 2018 class who played through the COVID year, he is immediately eligible for one year.
