Which Iowa State Cyclones Incoming Freshmen Has the Most Upside on the Hardwood?

The four-man Iowa State Cyclones Class of 2026 is loaded with talent. But, one recruit stands out for his immense upside.

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Last week, the Iowa State Cyclones made the commitments of their Class of 2026 men’s basketball recruits official.

Four-star players, guard Christian Wiggins and forward Jackson Kiss, three-star guard Yusef Gray Jr. and currently unranked but talented big man Dorian Rinaldo-Komlan all signed their financial aid papers to enroll with the school.

There is a lot of excitement surrounding this group of talented players. They will fill several different roles on the roster, helping restock a talent pool that could be depleted following the 2025-26 campaign.

Star point guard Tamin Lipsey and sixth man Nate Heise are both exhausting eligibility. Forwards Joshua Jefferson and Milan Momcilovic could pursue NBA careers depending on how their stocks look in the spring.

With the current landscape of collegiate sports, rosters are changing constantly. Which is why it is so important to Iowa State to land recruits with high upside and develop them.

Jackson Kiss has immense upside for Iowa State

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In the incoming class, all eyes will be on Kiss in that regard. He was given the superlative of the player with the highest upside by Alec Busse of Cyclone Alert, part of the 247Sports Network (subscription required).

"He's strong, physical, has sneaky bounce, and terrific hands, but what truly differentiates him are his instincts and feel for the game," 247Sports director of scouting Adam Finkelstein wrote while evaluating the four-star recruit. "His processing ability is off the charts and it's not until you consistently watch him make high-level plays and reads look routine that you start to get a full appreciation for it."

A top 100 player in the Class of 2026, Kiss is a great addition to the Cyclones. He has already drawn comparisons to Jefferson, providing some insight into just how much upside people believe that he possesses.

With only four years of basketball experience under his belt, he is a raw prospect. However, as Finkelstein noted, the tools are there for him to become an impactful performer at some point in his collegiate career.

Cyclones frontcourt will continue to be great

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Kiss won’t have the benefit of developing his skills for two years before coming to Ames, as Jefferson did, playing his first two collegiate seasons with the Saint Mary’s Gaels. But he possesses some skills that you cannot teach.

Head coach T.J. Otzelberger and his staff are going to have a lot of fun molding Kiss. They have shown a unique ability to develop frontcourt players to fit specific needs in their rotation.

Fans are going to thoroughly enjoy watching him and Rinaldo-Komlan develop as potential centerpieces on the offensive and defensive side of the ball, respectively.