Men's Basketball Recruit Makes It Official Signing With Iowa State Cyclones

A financial aid agreement has been signed by an Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball recruit, making things official.

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The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team has had a wonderful start to the 2025-26 season, both on and off the court.

On the hardwood, the team has gotten off to a 3-0 start. After handling business against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights and Grambling State Tigers in buy games at Hilton Coliseum, they faced their first test against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Playing a neutral site game at the Sanford Pentagon, the Cyclones handled business against their SEC foes, winning 96-80. A swarming, pressure-filled defense set the tone early, and the momentum was ridden to a victory.

Off the court, Iowa State has found success on the recruiting front. Hours before the matchup with Mississippi State, it was announced that they had landed international recruit Dorian Rinaldo-Komlan.

Yusef Gray Jr. officially signs with Iowa State

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On Wednesday, the team announced one of their other recruits, guard Yusef Gray Jr., had officially signed with the school. As shared by Alec Busse of Cyclone Alert, part of the 247Sports Network, he signed a financial aid agreement to play for the Cyclones to begin his collegiate career.

The No. 187-ranked player in the Class of 2026, he is the top-ranked player in Wisconsin in this recruiting cycle. Listed at 6-foot-3 and hailing from West Allis, Wisconsin, he has been committed to the team since January.

"It means a lot to me. Always something I dreamed about doing at a young age. Kind of a dream come true," Gray said. "Always wanted to play at the highest level of college basketball, but to actually be doing it is truly a blessing from God and something I've always prayed about."

Iowa State has been doing a great job recently of recruiting players out of Wisconsin. In the Class of 2025, they landed Mr. Basketball from the state, Xzavion Mitchell and the highly-regarded Jamarion Batemon.

Cyclones have strong Class of 2026

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Joining Gray in the Class of 2026 are fellow guard Christian Wiggins, forward Jackson Kiss and Rinaldo-Kolman, giving the Cyclones one of the top 20 classes in the nation.

With a veteran-laden squad for the 2025-26 campaign, it was imperative for head coach T.J. Otzelberger to restock the roster with talented players before even looking toward the transfer portal.

Guards Tamin Lipsey and Nate Heise will both have exhausted their eligibility after this season. The same goes for forward Joshua Jefferson. There is certainly a chance the NBA comes calling for Milan Momcilovic, who is playing out his junior year.

Gray and the incoming class, along with the current freshmen, are going to be counted on to fill sizable roles for Otzelberger next season.