Iowa State Cyclones' Four-Star Recruit Reaffirms Commitment to Program

Following an official visit a talented recruit for the Iowa State Cyclones will likely be coming to Ames

Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger calls a play during the second half against Oklahoma State in the Big-12 men’s basketball on Jan. 10, 2026, at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones have had a fantastic season so far, and this could end up being a very special year for the program based on their start. 

To start the campaign, the Cyclones were able to start out with a program-best 16 straight wins. The remarkable start moved them right up the Top 25 all the way to second. Unfortunately, a two-game losing streak knocked them down a bit. However, they have responded well with a five-game winning streak over the last three weeks. 

The success that head coach T.J. Otzelberger has been able to create for the program has been impressive over the last few years, and this team has become a perennial contender in the Big 12 now. 

With that, success has also come an ability to recruit better. Due to the program being better on the court, coming to play basketball at Iowa State has become a desirable destination. One of their expected top recruits recently visited the program and reaffirmed his commitment to coming to play for the Cyclones. 

Four-star recruit Jackson Kiss recently spoke with William Seals of On3 and reaffirmed his commitment to the Cyclones following an official visit last weekend.

Kiss Highlights Strong Recruiting Class

“I thought it was amazing. The atmosphere was crazy. I know everyone talks about it a lot, but I don’t think words can describe that atmosphere. I love the way the team plays." #IowaState PF signee Jackson Kiss details weekend official visit.

➡️https://t.co/baWtZiZTjf#Cyclones pic.twitter.com/HGbNmllBd9

— Bill Seals (@williamseals) February 10, 2026

The talented four-star power forward is a Rivals Top 100 recruit and ranks in the Top 15 at his position as well. As shown with the team playing multiple freshmen this year and a few seniors getting ready to leave the program following this season, there could be minutes right off the bat for Kiss next year. 

With the success of the program and getting to see the atmosphere live in Ames, that certainly helped Kiss realize that he had made the right decision. For him individually, getting to see how the Cyclones at times run their offense through Joshua Jefferson could be an appealing thing for him. 

Kiss has a very similar build to Jefferson at power forward and could be his replacement next year. While it will take time to develop into that type of player, he could have that type of potential. 

As the second-highest-ranked recruit of the class currently for the Cyclones, Kiss could be playing a big role right away for the team next season. Hopefully, he will be able to continue to grow as a player and potentially even follow in the footsteps of a player like Jefferson at the power forward position.