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The NCAA transfer portal is often a controversial topic, with fans lamenting players jumping from new school to new school every single year without any sort of repercussion.
However, former Iowa Hawkeyes star Bennett Stirtz is the shining example of why the portal exists and how, oftentimes, it can change a player’s life.
Stirtz, a 6-foot-4 guard, is a projected first-round pick in this summer’s NBA Draft after leading his team to the Sweet 16 and being named first-team All-Big Ten.
But things didn’t start out that way.
Instead, Stirtz began his career at Division II Northwest Missouri State under head coach Ben McCollum. When McCollum left to take the head coaching job at Drake in 2024, Stirtz followed.
It was there that Stirtz was named both the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer and Player of the Year.
He then followed McCollum again, this time to Iowa, for his senior season. After lighting up the Big Ten and the NCAA Tournament for the Hawkeyes, Stirtz is now a top pro prospect.
But what if he’d never left Northwest Missouri State?
Bennett Stirtz Would Be Cutting Grass If Not For The Transfer Portal
After a strong showing at the recent NBA Combine, Stirtz is moving his way up draft boards. However, if that were not the case, he’d likely be working back with family in Missouri doing landscape, according to a recentl interview
“Probably still go back home and do a lawn mowing business and keep that up with my brothers. Build that up. I think that’s what I’d be doing. That’s a good backup plan, right?” he told reporters.
In an alternate reality, if Bennett Stirtz had played four seasons at the D-II level, called it a career and was now getting into the workforce, what would he do?
“Probably still go back home and do a lawn mowing business and keep that up with my brothers. Build that up. I… pic.twitter.com/2RZRJ7UONG
— Tyler Tachman (@Tyler_T15) May 13, 2026
That is a good backup plan. There’s plenty of money in landscaping, and it’s honest work.
However, it’s not exactly playing in the NBA, which Stirtz will be doing in a handful of months. And it’s fair to credit the existence of the NCAA transfer portal, in part, for that fact.