She could have gone somewhere else for more money. She chose the Razorbacks anyway.
Izzy Higginbottom grew up in Batesville, Arkansas dreaming of playing on the Hill. When the opportunity finally came in her final year of eligibility, she didn't think twice — even when other schools were offering more NIL money. For Izzy, being a Razorback meant more than a paycheck. It meant everything.
Now she's back home in Batesville, coaching the next generation of Arkansas athletes at Southside High School and running basketball camps with professional trainer Michael Mills — giving back to the same community that shaped her.
In this episode of Co-Hosted, Izzy sits down with Payton Dunn for one of the most honest conversations we've had about women's basketball, NIL, and what college sports is really starting to look like from the inside.
What you'll hear in this episode:
Izzy walks through her entire journey — committing to Missouri out of high school to escape the recruiting process, eventually finding her way to Arkansas State, and then making the decision that defined her college career — putting on a Razorback uniform for her final season. She talks about what that year meant to her, what NIL actually looked like for women's basketball players at the SEC level, and why she turned down schools that were offering bigger money to come home and be a Razorback.
She also gets into the state of the Arkansas women's basketball program under Coach Music, why she thinks college sports as a whole is heading in the wrong direction, and what she thinks needs to change before NIL and the transfer portal completely reshape what college athletics looks like.
And then there's the games. Payton debuts a brand new segment called Bucket — where Izzy has to name three correct answers to score points like she's shooting free throws, jumpers, and threes. Greek philosophers, shared presidential last names, and Arkansas's all time scoring leaders. She holds her own.
This is an episode for every Arkansas fan who's ever wondered what it actually looks like behind the scenes of women's basketball — and for every athlete trying to figure out what life looks like after the game is over.
Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
Follow Izzy on social media and keep up with her as she builds the next chapter of her career coaching the next generation of Arkansas athletes.
