Houston freshman guard, former five-star recruit entering transfer portal

Houston entered the 2026 NCAA Tournament with legitimate national championship aspirations. 

With a future lottery pick in Kingston Flemings running the show for the Cougars and the program continuing to wreak havoc on the defensive end under Kelvin Sampson, it wasn’t preposterous to suggest Houston could go the distance this year. 

Unfortunately for the Cougars, their title quest felt short, as they suffered a 65-55 Sweet 16 loss to Illinois in the Sweet 16. Shortly after Houston’s season-ending loss, the program’s 6-foot-6 freshman guard and former five-star recruit elected to enter the transfer portal.

“Houston guard Isiah Harwell plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal,” On3’s Griffin McVeigh wrote Monday, with On3’s Joe Tipton confirming the move.

Harwell appeared in 32 contests with the Cougars this season, but received only 13.8 minutes per game in Year 1. The Pocatello, Idaho native averaged 3.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game, shooting 27.9% from the field and 27.1% from beyond the arc.

Harwell, the No. 14 recruit in the 2025 recruiting class and the No. 3 shooting guard, exploded for 20 points against Jackson State on Dec. 10, which turned out to be his highest point total of the year. 

While things didn’t work out with Houston, it’s safe to assume the highly-touted guard will quickly find a new college basketball home.

More college basketball: Is AJ Dybantsa declaring for the NBA Draft? BYU star discusses future after Cougars' loss to Texas