T.J. Otzelberger Shares Feelings on Iowa State Cyclones Incoming Freshmen Class

The Iowa State Cyclones Class of 2026 freshmen have drawn some strong opinions from T.J. Otzelberger.

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The Iowa State Cyclones have gotten off to a 3-0 start in the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season. There have been a lot of players who have contributed to the team’s success out of the gate.

Some of the players who have drawn the most attention are their freshmen trio of Killyan Toure, Jamarion Batemon and Dominykas Pleta.

Toure has a bigger role than anyone predicted he would have come into the campaign. He was inserted into the starting lineup alongside Tamin Lipsey and is proving to be a dynamic two-way duo.

Batemon’s shooting has been key off the bench thus far. Pleta is on the fringe of the rotation, yet to play double-digit minutes in a game. But both of their roles will grow as the season moves along.

Those freshmen have already drawn the attention of opposing head coaches, as Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Chris Jans was impressed with how far along they are.

T.J. Otzelberger excited about Iowa State incoming freshmen

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A reason that the Cyclones have been able to sustain success under head coach T.J. Otzelberger is how well he has done restocking the roster with talent every year. He looks to have done it with the Class of 2025 and again with the Class of 2026.

Iowa State has a top-20 class locked in for incoming freshmen. Guard Christian Wiggins and forward Jackson Kiss are both four-star players. Yusef Gray Jr. is a three-star guard and Dorian Rinaldo-Komlan has immense upside playing at Spire Academy, hailing from the same town in France as Toure.

All four players officially signed this past week, locking in the four-man class of 2026. And Otzelberger couldn’t hide his excitement when speaking about the quartet.

"Excited, I mean, all four guys bring things to the table that we feel like can have an immediate impact on our program," Otzelberger said, via Alec Busse of Cyclone Alert, part of the 247Sports Network. "I think everybody talks about the transfer portal, and that's, again, something we'll continue to factor in. Our program is always going to be about development. It's going to be about getting high school guys that we believe in, that contribute right away and continue to get better and have pride in our program."

Iowa State finding success recruiting and on transfer portal

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The Cyclones have found plenty of success under Otzelberger in the transfer portal. Joshua Jefferson was landed from Saint Mary’s and is an All-Big 12 performer. Dominick Nelson looks like an instant offense off the bench, coming to the team from the Utah Valley Wolverines as the WAC Player of the Year last season.

But, for a program to truly sustain success, bringing in high school talent and developing them is key. Iowa State has succeeded in that regard with Lipsey as a four-year senior point guard and Milan Momcilovic entering Year 3 as a junior.

The incoming freshmen class certainly looks like it has a few long-term building blocks in it. It is easy to see why Otzelberger is so excited about what they bring to the table.