Iowa freshman wide receiver James Resar announced on Thursday morning that he plans to enter the transfer portal. Brought in as a quarterback in the class of 2024, Resar was quickly flipped to receiver before sustaining a non-contact knee injury earlier this fall that ruled him out the remainder of the season.
He will have four years of eligibility remaining.
The 2024 gunslinger came into Iowa with a considerable amount of experience under center. Over four years at Bishop Kenny in Jacksonville, Florida, Resar played in 33 games, completing 346-of-550 passes (62.9%) for 4,756 yards and 47 touchdowns. He was productive on the ground as well, running the ball 185 times for 1,502 yards (8.1 yards per carry) and 21 scores over his high school career.
Those numbers ultimately landed the three-star prospect several Power 4 scholarship offers, including Indiana, North Carolina, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech.
When Tyler Barnes, Iowa’s chief of staff and general manager, first spoke about Resar on National Signing Day last year, he noted his athleticism.
"James has a role as a passer," he said, "but you can't deny the athletic ability that he has, and that's something that intrigued us. Something maybe a little bit different than we have in the room currently and in the past few years."
Recruited by Brian Ferentz, the possibility of a decommitment came about when it was announced the former offensive coordinator would be let go at the end of the 2023 season.
Resar ultimately elected to stick with Iowa after a phone call with Kirk Ferentz last fall.
"I just love the program so much," Resar said at the time. "I'm sticking with it."
After a football season split between two positions, as well as an offensive coordinator in Tim Lester that didn't recruit him and a season-ending injury, Resar has decided to move on.
