Fast-Rising Northern Iowa Assistant Should Be on Iowa State Basketball’s Radar

A Northern Iowa Panthers assistant coach could jump at the opportunity to move to the Iowa State Cyclones staff.

Mar 13, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger gives direction during the first half against the Arizona Wildcats at T-Mobile Center. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones' offseason has already been a very busy one, with some changeover on the coaching staff and roster.

Assistants JR Blount and Kyle Green were both hired to become head coaches with the San Diego Toreros and Northern Iowa Panthers, respectively. Veteran guard Cade Kelderman also announced he will enter the transfer portal, making it six players officially who won’t be back for the 2026-27 campaign.

While the roster additions will start coming after the transfer portal opens, T.J. Otzelberger has already gotten to work with the coaching staff. Veteran Tim Buckley, who worked under Otzelberger with the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels, was hired to fill one vacancy on the staff.

Who could be the second assistant who is brought to Iowa State? One name to keep an eye on is Seth Tuttle.

Iowa State should inquire about Seth Tuttle as assistant coach

Mar 19, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Northern Iowa Panthers forward Seth Tuttle (10) during practice before the 2015 NCAA Tournament at KeyArena. | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

This is a bit of a delicate situation because Tuttle has been on the staff of Northern Iowa since 2018. He has been an assistant since 2021 and was considered by many to be the favorite for the head coaching position when Ben Jacobson accepted the head coaching job with the Utah State Aggies.

But it was Green, an assistant under Otzelberger for five years, returning to the Panthers for a fourth stint. After playing collegiately with Northern Iowa, Tuttle may want to remain with the program, but no one would blame him if he opts to add to his resume after being passed over for the head coaching position.

Should he look for a new opportunity, heading to Ames would be a great place to start. He is familiar with the Midwest area and is considered a rising star in the coaching ranks as a highly-regarded assistant.

Former Panthers have found a lot of success with the Cyclones since Otzelberger’s tenure began. Nate Heise ended his sixth-year collegiate career with two seasons with Iowa State as an integral part of their rotation.

Tuttle could be next Northern Iowa product developed by Iowa State

March 20, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; March 20, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Northern Iowa Panthers forward Seth Tuttle (10) reacts after he scores a basket against Wyoming Cowboys during the first half of the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at KeyArena. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Green was a big part of the Cyclones suffocating defense the last few years. Coming to Ames helped him improve his profile to eventually land a head coaching position.

With Tuttle likely having aspirations to be a head coach himself, this could present a great jumping-off point for him. As this offseason has proven, Otzelberger is willing and capable of helping build up his assistants to prepare them to eventually take over their own program.

There will assuredly be plenty of discussions between Green and Tuttle about what he wants to do with his future. If it ultimately doesn’t lie with Northern Iowa, Green can help steer him toward an opportunity with Iowa State, just like he had.