Bailey and Williams to Transfer to Iowa

A few days after entering the transfer portal, Little Rock teammates Nasir Bailey and Jordan Williams have both decided to commit to the University of Iowa. 

Both appear to fit potential holes for Tom Brands’ team during the 2025-26 season. Williams replaces four-time All-American Kyle Parco at 149 lbs and Bailey likely comes in at 141 lbs. One would assume that to be the case with the presence of two-time NCAA runner-up Drake Ayala set to return at 133 lbs. 

Bailey was a 2024 NCAA fourth-place finisher as a true freshman at 133 lbs. He is 52-9 after two years of competition at Little Rock. This year he captured his second Pac-12 championship and earned the #2 seed in Philly. Bailey ended up going 2-2 at the national tournament and missed out on the podium after losses to Zan Fugitt and Evan Frost. 

Williams initially signed with Oklahoma State and made an appearance at the 2024 NCAA Championships for the Cowboys. In the offseason, he transferred to Little Rock and thrived with the Trojans. Williams won a Pac-12 championship in one of the conference’s toughest weights and earned the #8 seed at NCAA’s. In Philly, Williams pushed the returning champion, Caleb Henson, into extra time in the quarterfinals. He ended up falling there to Henson and was shutout in the bloodround by former Oklahoma State teammate Sammy Alvarez. 

Iowa had an impressive transfer portal haul in the 2024 offseason that saw the Hawkeyes add three multi-time All-Americans to solidify their lineup. It appears they’ve got a quick start on the field in another race to add talent via the portal.