Iowa State Basketball Transfer Rightfully Named Breakout Candidate

A big season could be in store for an Iowa State Cyclones transfer.

Mar 11, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Northwestern Wildcats forward Tre Singleton (8) grabs a rebound against the Indiana Hoosiers during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Iowa State Cyclones might have gotten an absolute gem in the transfer portal over the offseason, and the world is starting to take notice.

It’s overall been a great offseason for Iowa State. They picked up five players in the portal: Jaquan Johnson, Leon Bond III, Taj Manning, Ryan Prather Jr., and Tre Singleton. And in recruiting, they added three players: Yusef Gray Jr., Christian Wiggins, and Dorian Rinaldo-Komlan.

And while all are great candidates to break out this season, Singleton made CBS Sports’ list of 10 breakout candidates going into the 2026-27 season. The only requirements were that they must have averaged less than 10 PPG the previous season.

Singleton fits those numbers. He averaged 7.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game last season with the Northwestern Wildcats during his freshman year. For a player in just his first year, the numbers were immensely impressive.

Tre Singleton will be stepping into Joshua Jefferson's role

Mar 7, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Northwestern Wildcats forward Tre Singleton (8) dunks the ball as Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Grayson Grove (2) defends during the second half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The other players on the list were Jaylen Petty from the UCLA Bruins, Tate Sage from the Iowa Hawkeyes, Darren Harris from the Indiana Hoosiers, Matt Able from the North Carolina Tar Heels, Mercy Miller from the Houston Cougars, Davis Fogle from the Gonzaga Bulldogs, Ruben Prey of the St. John’s Red Storm, Kohl Rosario from the Kansas Jayhawks, and Jaden Toombs from the SMU Mustangs.

The Cyclones are going into the 2026-27 season with a chip on their shoulder. They lost all three of their star players over the offseason: Joshua Jefferson, Tamin Lipsey, and Milan Momcilovic. Jefferson and Lipsey left for the NBA, while Momcilovic entered the portal before signing with the Kentucky Wildcats.

Now, Iowa State provides a lot of opportunities for players to break out. Killyan Toure was a key defensive player last season, but could make an offensive jump to help the Cyclones compete.

Jamarion Batemon brought great shooting off the bench and now could potentially be implemented into the starting lineup and become an even better scorer. Even guys such as Blake Buchanan and Dominykas Pleta could take jumps after playing solid last season.

But Singleton looks like a guy who's popping up on people’s radars across the nation. With great size and a skill set that could be great under head coach T.J. Otzelberger, Singleton could potentially be the missing piece that helps Iowa State reach its potential and even possibly take it to the Final Four, a feat that hasn't been achieved since 1944.