Iowa State Basketball Guard Shockingly Enters Transfer Portal

The Iowa State Cyclones had a good idea of what needs they would have to address ahead of the transfer portal opening on April 7.

Their backcourt depth took a hit with junior Cade Kelderman announcing he was entering the transfer portal. After being a walk-on his first two seasons, he was awarded a scholarship for what ended up being his final one in Ames.

He joined five seniors, Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson, Nate Heise, Dominick Nelson and Eric Mulder, as guys who won’t be back for the 2026-27 campaign. However, in a surprising turn of events, Nelson is looking to continue his collegiate career, just not with the Cyclones.

As shared by Pete Nakos of On3, the senior guard has entered the NCAA transfer portal. This is an unexpected outcome because it was thought that he had exhausted his eligibility playing two years of junior college basketball, one season with the Utah Valley Wolverines and one with Iowa State.

Dominick Nelson entering transfer portal

It is fair to presume that Nelson is attempting to get a waiver to play a fifth season of college basketball for the 2026-27 campaign. This will be something to keep a close eye on because it could set a precedent for other players looking for extra years of eligibility.

His entering of the transfer portal doesn’t change much for the Cyclones. They were operating under the assumption this was a one-year partnership anyway, so his decision likely doesn’t change their offseason plans much.

He was unable to lock down a rotation role under T.J. Otzelberger during conference play, unable to make the kind of impression the coaching staff was hoping for during non-conference competition.

In 24 games, he averaged 8.5 minutes per contest, scoring 3.7 points with 0.9 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.4 steals and 0.2 blocks. Credit needs to be given to him for remaining ready to play, receiving 19 minutes of action against the Tennessee State Tigers in the Round of 64 after Joshua Jefferson injured his ankle.

NEW: Iowa State guard Dominick Nelson has entered the NCAA transfer portal, @PeteNakos reports.https://t.co/MorD1lSVIl pic.twitter.com/NHyPvAvFR4
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) April 7, 2026

While things didn’t go according to plan in Ames, Nelson is someone who can help a team next season if he is deemed eligible.

He was a sought-after player in the transfer portal last year after being named the WAC Player of the Year for the 2024-25 campaign with Utah Valley. Nelson averaged 14.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.7 blocks in 30 minutes per game.

A tenacious, downhill attacker of the rim, he has a knack for drawing fouls and getting to the charity stripe to rack up easy points.