Iowa State Basketball Has No. 1 Transfer Portal Class Country

The Iowa State Cyclones have wasted no time making impactful additions in the transfer portal.

Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball head coach T. J. Otzelberger talks to media after NCAA men's basketball selection show at Hilton Coliseum on Sunday, March 17, 2024, in Ames, Iowa | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

The men’s college basketball transfer portal officially opened on April 7, and the Iowa State Cyclones have wasted no time getting to work.

The Cyclones are currently ranked as the number one team in the transfer portal, per 247 Sports. Coming in at No. 2 are the Tennessee Volunteers, followed by the Houston Cougars, Xavier Musketeers, Ohio State Buckeyes, UCLA Bruins, Oregon State Beavers, Texas A&M Aggies, Providence Friars, and Michigan Wolverines to round out the top 10.

Iowa State clearly deserves the ranking, considering the talent it has brought in thus far.

The Cyclones began the offseason by announcing that they would be hosting five transfers the first weekend the portal was open.

Iowa State has crushed it in transfer portal early on

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

Those transfers would come to Ames, IA, get a sense of campus and the basketball program, and eventually decide whether it was a place they wanted to attend. But before they even stepped on campus, they got their first commitment.

Leon Bond III, formerly of the Northern Iowa Panthers, committed to Iowa State. It was the first of four commitments for the Cyclones.

The next day, Iowa State received three commitments, all from highly regarded players. They brought in Jaquan Johnson from the Bradley Braves, Tre Singleton from the Northwestern Wildcats, and Taj Manning from the Kansas State Wildcats. All three were elite pickups, with Johnson being the cream of the crop.

The Cyclones have had an unbelievable portal thus far, and the rankings agree. Being the top team in the portal proves what a great job they have done to improve the roster for the upcoming season. They have brought in a perfect mix of top end talent, as well as depth that looks like Iowa State is quickly becoming a national championship contender next season.

Cyclones succesfully restocked roster to contend next season

Jan 31, 2026; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Washington Huskies forward Bryson Tucker (8) defends Northwestern Wildcats forward Tre Singleton (8) Washington Huskies forward Bryson Tucker (8) defends Northwestern Wildcats forward Tre Singleton (8) during the first half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. | David Banks-Imagn Images

Being number one is a perfect beginning to a long 2026-27 season that begins all the way in November. It lets the team as well as the fanbase know that they can genuinely win the national championship, and being considered the best team clearly puts Iowa State in the right direction.

Now, all they have to do is keep their foot on the gas and keep pushing for players, hoping to get the number one portal class. If so, they should go into next season as a top team.

Iowa State is already in the right direction, bringing in great players for next season. Now all they have to do is prove it on the hardwood when the season starts in a few months.