Where Does Iowa State Cyclones Star Joshua Jefferson Land in Player Rankings?

Iowa State Cyclones forward Joshua Jefferson is one of the most highly ranked players in men's college basketball entering the 2025-26 season.

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The Iowa State Cyclones need players to step up this season after losing so much talent from their 2024-25 roster. Their two leading scorers, Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert, both exhausted eligibility along with Brandton Chatfield.

Starting center Dishon Jackson opted to enter the transfer portal and landed with the Pittsburgh Panthers.

That is a lot of production to replace, but head coach T.J. Otzelberger can rest a little easier knowing he has some incredible talent returning. Part of that bunch is forward Joshua Jefferson, who thrived in his first season in Ames.

Joshua Jefferson ranked as one of best players in country

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He played so well that Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf of ESPN believe him to be one of the best players in the country. They released their top 100 men’s NCAA basketball players, and he came in at No. 36.

That is one spot ahead of teammate, Tamin Lipsey. Medcalf praised him for his consistency and expansion of his game.

“Jefferson also made 39% of his 3-point attempts in conference play, as he became a more versatile threat over the course of the season,” he wrote.

Jefferson stuffed the stat sheet. He averaged 13 points per game while grabbing 7.4 rebounds to go along with 3.1 assists and 2.1 steals.

Last season, Otzelberger deployed him across the entire frontcourt, playing a lot of minutes at center. This season, the plan is to use him almost exclusively at power forward, which could unlock even more production.

Joshua Jefferson's two-way impact is big for Iowa State

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Regarded as one of the best stretch-4/bigs in the country, he has the skill set to dominate on both ends. Big men don’t have the athleticism to stick with him on the perimeter, where he is showing improvements with his shooting.

If opponents change things up and put a smaller, more athletic player on him to disrupt his ball-handling and driving to the basket, Jefferson will punish them with his low-post game.

With so many shots available, there is certainly an opportunity for him to flourish on the offensive end. If he ups his 3-point attempts in the fashion that Otzelberger is hoping for, he could push his scoring average into the high teens.

A transfer from Saint Mary’s, he helped set the tone of both ends of the floor. His defensive impact travels, with the Gaels being amongst the stingiest teams in the nation, and he brought that to the Cyclones.

Playing behind Lipsey, the best point of attack defender in the country, provides the Cyclones with two elite defensive players to build their game plan around.