Iowa State Cyclones Men's Basketball Class of 2026 Underappreciated in Rankings

Men's college basketball recruiting ranks are overlooking the Iowa State Cyclones group.

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The Iowa State Cyclones look to have hit it big with their Class of 2025 men’s basketball recruits.

T.J. Otzelberger and his staff deserve a lot of credit for finding players who are not only talented but fit exactly what they are looking for. All of their players fill a specific role on the team, and thus far, they have excelled at performing them.

Guard Killyan Toure looks like a star in the making. A starter in all seven games of his career thus far, he is making an immediate impact on both ends of the floor.

Fellow guard Jamarion Batemon, who was the more highly regarded player, is growing into a role off the bench. Center Dominykas Pleta is also receiving more minutes with the rotation becoming clearer.

Iowa State's Class of 2026 being overlooked

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For Iowa State to continue being a premier program in the nation, it has to keep hitting the recruiting trail hard. Over at ESPN, their current ranking for the Class of 2026 is not as highly regarded as other outlets, with their four-man class being overlooked.

Jeff Borzello and Paul Biancardi put together their top 25 boys’ recruiting rankings and the Cyclones didn’t make the cut. It will be something they will quickly come to regret because there is a lot of talent coming to Ames next year.

The highest-rated recruit that Iowa State signed is big man Jackson Kiss. A top 100 prospect by 247Sports, he has already drawn comparisons to current Cyclones star Joshua Jefferson for his potential two-way impact.

The Utah Prep has a strong base for Otzelberger and his staff to work with and build upon. If he gets close to replicating the production Jefferson has provided, this is a home run recruit.

Hovering around being a top 100 recruit is fellow four-star, Christian Wiggins. The talented guard struggled at times with his shooting efficiency, which led to a drop in the rankings.

Cyclones adding intriguing high-end talent to roster

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Three-star guard Yusef Gray Jr. is yet another Wisconsin product. That pipeline has been great for the Cyclones in recent years. Milan Momcilovic, Xzavion Mitchell and Batemon are all highly rated recruits from the state in recent years.

Last but not least is international big man Dorian Rinaldo-Komlan. Speaking of pipelines being created, Iowa State is making inroads overseas, bringing in talented prospects from overseas that are flying under the radar.

Toure and Rinaldo-Komlan are from the same area in France, and the presence of the guard helped land the big man, who should be able to make an immediate impact on the defensive end of the floor.

While some outlets aren’t as high on this group, they fit the mold of what Otzelberger is looking for in the program. He and his staff have shown an ability to identify the perfect additions to their roster and have rarely missed to this point.