T.J. Otzelberger Has High Expectations for Iowa State Transfers

The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team is going to look a lot different during the 2026-27 season than it did when the 2025-26 campaign came to a close in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

Gone are three seniors, Tamin Lipsey, Nate Heise and Joshua Jefferson, along with junior sharpshooter Milan Momcilovic. Taking their places on the roster are three incoming freshmen in the Class of 2026, Yusef Gray Jr., Christian Wiggins and Dorian Rinaldo-Komlan, and five players in the transfer portal.

Tre Singleton and Taj Manning are coming from Power Conference programs with the Northwestern Wildcats and the Kansas State Wildcats. Ryan Prather Jr., Leon Bond III and Jaquan Johnson are coming to the Cyclones from the Robert Morris Colonials, Northern Iowa Panthers and Bradley Braves.

All five players will have specific roles under head coach T.J. Otzelberger, facing sizable expectations to contribute right away and make an immediate impact.

Iowa State transfers will be counted on to make immediate impact

Bradley’s Jaquan Johnson, left, flies to the basket past Valparaiso’s Carter Hopoi. — Bradley’s Jaquan Johnson, left, flies to the basket past Valparaiso’s Carter Hopoi in the first half of their college basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026 at the Peoria Civic Center. The Braves defeated the Beacons 72-65. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“I think that covers all the transfers, I believe. I think each guy’s going to have an impact. I mean, we brought those guys here for a reason. You don’t bring in transfers, especially guys in their last year, the last couple of years, without a plan for them to play and develop. And I think all those guys have put themselves in a great position that way,” Otzelberger said via Bill Seals of Cyclone Report (subscription required).

There are some massive shoes for the incoming transfers to fill. They will be counted on to play major roles right away, especially given the injuries the incoming freshmen are dealing with.

Gray suffered a shoulder injury during his senior year, and his return is up in the air. Wiggins’s freshman year in Ames is going to be a washout after he suffered an Achilles injury and won’t be back in the fold until next summer.

Johnson is expected to be in Lipsey’s role as a leader on both ends of the court. The diminutive point guard is an explosive scorer and tenacious defender, winning the Missouri Valley Defensive Player of the Year Award.

Bond will likely assume the role that Heise had as a versatile two-way player who can fill any role depending on the lineup. Singleton has the toughest task as Jefferson’s replacement in the frontcourt.

Manning will bring toughness and size on the interior, something the team was missing last season. Prather brings elite ball security and three-level scoring. He looks like an ideal sixth man to provide a scoring punch and size to the backcourt.

Size was a theme this offseason for Otzelberger’s recruitment. It is a trend in men’s college basketball, and Iowa State is looking to get in on it.

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