One of the top transfer prospects in the country landed in Iowa City.
The national attention around the Iowa women's basketball program continues to be at an all-time high, and rightfully so.
Caitlin Clark engineered an unprecedented run of success during her illustrious college career, and the Hawkeyes have sustained it.
Jan Jensen took over for Lisa Bluder in the spring of 2024 and hasn't missed a beat, guiding Iowa to an impressive 27-7 record and No. 2 NCAA tournament seed in 2025-26.
Once their season ended, the Hawkeyes went to work and built a quality transfer class. The group is loaded with talent, but none of the four have brought as much attention as Georgia transfer Dani Carnegie.
The Rundown
Carnegie has lived out of a suitcase during her young career. The Mount Vernon, New York native began her career in the ACC with Georgia Tech, where she immediately contributed, posting 12.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for a Yellow Jackets team that reached the NCAA tournament in 2024-25.
Looking for a starting role, Carnegie then transferred to in-state archrival Georgia ahead of the 2025-26 campaign. If she wasn't already a star at Georgia Tech, she broke out as a superstar for the Bulldogs, netting 17.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game.
Georgia recorded its first winning season in three years, and its 22-9 mark was enough to earn a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs' postseason run would begin in none other than Carver-Hawkeye Arena, but Georgia's hopes of getting a crack at the Hawkeyes were dashed when it was upset by 10th-seeded Virginia, who in turn would shock Iowa two days later.
Georgia parted ways with head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson after the season ended, and Carnegie entered the portal a second time. Just one week after going in the portal, Carnegie was exchanging her red and black attire for black and gold Hawkeye gear.
Analysis
After watching some of Carnegie's tape, it's easy to see what the best aspect of her game is - three-point shooting. She was a 35% shooter for the Bulldogs last year and is always waiting for a chance to let it fly. Her quick release behind a screen or in transition is something to watch, as is her shooting range.
Carnegie doesn't quite have Clark-type range (nobody else really does), but she can shoot it from well-beyond the arc. Over half of Carnegie's shots each game came from distance, so expect to see that on full display at Carver-Hawkeye Arena this winter.
Not only can Carnegie shoot it, she's also proven that she can dish the rock. Carnegie isn't a point guard, but always has a knack for making the right pass when she needs to. Carnegie improved her assist numbers during her sophomore campaign, and it's likely it could see more improvement in Iowa's system.
Carnegie's natural talent makes her a perfect fit for this Hawkeyes' team, but the thing that stands out the most to me about Carnegie is her existing relationships with two members of the Iowa team - junior point guard Chit-Chat Wright and assistant coach LaSondra Barrett. Carnegie played with Wright at Georgia Tech during their freshman seasons when Barrett also served as an assistant coach.
Transfers sometimes struggle to gel in their new homes right away, but having previous chemistry on the floor with Wright could pay huge dividends early for the Hawkeyes, which have a loaded November schedule featuring Connecticut and Vanderbilt.
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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at [email protected]
