Iowa State Basketball Should Stay Pat Despite Eligibility Changes

Roster change at this point isn't necessary for the Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team.

Mar 11, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones coach TJ Otzelberger watches game play during the first half against the Arizona State Sun Devils at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It’s been a big week for college sports as a whole, with an everlasting impact for the Iowa State Cyclones.

On June 23rd, a law was passed allowing a five-for-five eligibility rule for collegiate athletes, abolishing the goal of redshirting, and giving players five years to play five seasons. Due to the rule change, players from the high school class of 2022 that had lost their eligibility after their senior year argued that they deserve a fifth year as well. After a court ruling on July 31st, it was announced that players would be eligible for one final year.

Now, many players are entering the transfer portal and looking for new opportunities, but it looks like the Cyclones are staying put.

Currently, Iowa State has 14 players on their roster. The maximum number of players on a team is 15. So will the Cyclones make a move to improve their roster this offseason?

Iowa State shouldn't look to add to roster

Iowa State’s men’s basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger talks to media during the men’s basketball media availability at the university’s Sukup Basketball complex on July 28, 2026, in Ames, Iowa | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It seems pretty unlikely. The Cyclones already have a ton of depth and have the star players necessary to compete for a Final Four appearance. The core of Killyan Toure, Jamarion Batemon, Jaquan Johnson, Tre Singleton, and Blake Buchanan looks scary, and adding another player could mess things up.

From social media videos posted by Iowa State’s official basketball page, the team looks connected, and they fit immensely well together. Adding another player could potentially interfere with the chemistry of the team, especially if they’re a star player.

On August 2nd, Field of 68, a college basketball media company, expressed that former Michigan Wolverines, Kansas State Wildcats, and Memphis Tigers guard Dug McDaniel has entered the transfer portal, and that the Cyclones were interested in the player, but it doesn’t make sense for Iowa State to follow through.

Dug McDaniel has received interest from Arizona State, Stanford, Auburn, Iowa State, USC, Cincinnati, NC State, Utah, Oregon and Duquesne, his agent Scott Nichols told @thefieldof68.

McDaniel spent his first two seasons at Michigan, junior campaign at Kansas State and last year…

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) August 1, 2026

While McDaniel isn’t a bad player, he doesn’t feel like a T.J. Otzelberger type of guy. He’s more of an offensive player and doesn’t value defense the way that the rest of the roster does. It would help offensively, but overall, it isn’t the best option to add.

Adding players could improve the roster, but it’s not a risk that the Cyclones should take. McDaniel is an example of a player who could be solid but could severely interfere with the dynamic of the roster.

And based on what we’ve seen thus far, there’s no reason to change this Iowa State team before the 2026-27 season, and the current 14-man roster is perfect to approach the upcoming year.