Grading Jaquan Johnson’s Addition to Iowa State Basketball

The first weekend of the NCAA transfer portal being open for men’s college basketball was a busy one for the Iowa State Cyclones.

They knew there were holes to fill on the roster with five seniors, Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson, Nate Heise, Dominick Nelson and Eric Mulder graduating. On top of that, Cade Kelderman, Mason Williams and Milan Momcilovic all entered the transfer portal as well.

With five open scholarships, the Cyclones hosted five transfer portal players for visits in Ames. All signed, including Bradley Braves point guard Jaquan Johnson.

Securing his commitment was a massive victory for the program. There will be some pressure on him because of the void he is going to help fill, but this was the biggest addition made during the transfer portal. And for that reason, Iowa State basketball aced this recruitment.

Grade: A+

Bradley's Jaquan Johnson celebrates a Belmont turnover late in the overtime period of their college basketball game Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 at Carver Arena in Peoria. The Braves defeated the Bruins 95-84. | MATT DAYHOFF/JOURNAL STAR / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Replacing someone as impactful as Lipsey has been the last four years is virtually impossible. A hometown kid from Ames who started every game of his four-year career is a rare occurrence in the current landscape of collegiate sports.

Not only did he perform at a high level, but he also possessed all of the intangibles a coach wants in their point guard as an extension of himself on the court. There wasn’t a player in the transfer portal better suited to take on that role from Lipsey than Johnson.

The only knock against him is his size, as he is measured under 6-feet tall. But any opponent who discounts him just from appearance is in for a rude awakening because he is an incredibly talented player.

Offensively, he offers more scoring upside than Lipsey does, making up for whatever difference there is in playmaking. He averaged 16.9 points per game and is dangerous at every level, especially from 3-point range on catch-and-shoot opportunities.

He knocked down 38.3% of his 3-point attempts and 78.4% of his free throws. His Offensive Win Shares (3.2), Win Shares (5.1), and Box Plus/Minus (7.4) all led the Missouri Valley Conference.

Here is new Iowa St commit Jaquan Johnson going off for 35 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 6 steals, 12-22 FG in a OT win over Evansville.

He was one of if not the best two-way guards at the mid major level. Top-5 in SPG in the country.pic.twitter.com/HYRdXtzGAJ
— Rising Ballers Network (@dylan_lutey) April 11, 2026

There are some struggles at the rim, but that isn’t all too surprising given his lack of size and length. But that doesn’t deter him from filling up the bucket.

After being named an MVC All-Freshman in 2024-25, he racked up even more accolades as a sophomore. He was named the Most Improved Player, Defensive Player of the Year and was selected to the All-MVC First Team and MVC-All Defensive Team.

Johnson is a tenacious defender who has a nose for the ball. He led the MVC with 2.5 steals per game and with a 4.9% steal rate.

Rated as one of the top 15 players in the transfer portal this year, T.J. Otzelberger and Iowa State basketball landed their next star.

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