Transfer portal · 2026
Iowa State Cyclones
Both windowsProjected two-deep impacti
+31
Projected two-deep roles added · 2026 arrivals
Iowa State added 31 transfers projected into the two-deep (21 as starters) against 55 departures whose next roles aren’t tracked here. Every number on this page is counted, not modelled — no composite portal grade is published because no defensible one exists yet.
51
Arrivals
-4
55
Departures
0.85
Avg rating in
-0.02
0.87
Avg rating out
31
Proj two-deep in
—
—
Out roles untracked
25 of 51
’25 production in
—
33 of 55
’25 production out
How the roster changed
106 moves · 13 rooms touchediOffense-3 net players
Replaced+2 players
OL
+10 in · −8 out · 5 proj starters in
InOut
?
?
Brendan Black out to Nebraska drives the room.
Replaced—
RB
+3 in · −3 out · 1 proj starter in
InOut
Carson Hansen out to Penn State drives the room.
Replaced—
TE
+3 in · −3 out · 1 proj starter in
InOut
Benjamin Brahmer out to Penn State drives the room.
Replaced—
QB
+2 in · −2 out · 1 proj starter in
InOut
Jaylen Raynor in from Arkansas State drives the room.
Depth concern-5 players
WR
+5 in · −10 out · 3 proj starters in
InOut
?
?
?
Brett Eskildsen out to Penn State drives the room.
Defense-3 net players
Upgraded+3 players
EDGE
+5 in · −2 out · 2 proj starters in
InOut
I
Isaac Terrell in from Washington State drives the room.
Replaced+1 player
CB
+6 in · −5 out · 1 proj starter in
InOut
Braden Awls in from Toledo drives the room.
Replaced+1 player
DL
+5 in · −4 out · 2 proj starters in
InOut
Bryson Lamb in from Washington State drives the room.
Depth concern-3 players
LB
+5 in · −8 out · 2 proj starters in
InOut
T
M
?
?
Kooper Ebel out to Penn State drives the room.
Depth concern-5 players
S
+4 in · −9 out · 1 proj starter in
InOut
Marcus Neal Jr. out to Penn State drives the room.
Specialists+2 net players
Replaced+1 player
K
+1 in · −0 out
InOutNo departures
Adlai Lounsbury in from Washington State drives the room.
Upgraded+1 player
P
+1 in · −0 out · 1 proj starter in
InOutNo departures
I
Jonah DuPont in from Iowa Western CC drives the room.
Upgraded—
LS
+1 in · −1 out · 1 proj starter in
InOut
Caleb Schmidt in from Minot State drives the room.
ArrivalDepartureHeavy ring · proj starter inThin ring · rotation inDotted · depth role or no ’25 recordMarker size = ’25 production percentile (smallest = none recorded)
Did Iowa State replace what it lost?
Role slots, not player-for-playerReplaced5 chains
EDGE
Starting slot
Out · to Missouri S&T
Charlie Woleben
rating 0.85
Upgrade
Medium confidence
In · from Washington State
Isaac Terrell
rating 0.87 · 94th pctl ’25 production · 28 tkl · 12 TFL · 7 sk · lde1 starter
Jan 9
▾ Detail
DL
Starting slot
Out · to Penn State
Ikenna Ezeogu
rating 0.88 · 70th pctl ’25 production · 25 tkl · 3 TFL · 1 sk
Replaced
High confidence
In · from Washington State
Bryson Lamb
rating 0.85 · 75th pctl ’25 production · 25 tkl · 3.5 TFL · 1.5 sk · dt1 starter
Jan 8
▾ Detail
DL
Starting slot
Out · to Penn State
Alijah Carnell
rating 0.86 · 30th pctl ’25 production · 6 tkl · 0.5 TFL · 0.5 sk
Replaced
High confidence
In · from Washington State
Max Baloun
rating 0.83 · 37th pctl ’25 production · 4 tkl · 3 TFL · 1 sk · dt21 starter
Jan 5
▾ Detail
LB
Starting slot
Out · to Penn State
Caleb Bacon
rating 0.91 · 89th pctl ’25 production · 68 tkl · 9.5 TFL · 3 sk
Replaced
Medium confidence
In · from Mississippi Gulf Coast CC
M
Willie Breland III
no ’25 production record · sam1 starter
—
▾ Detail
LS
Starting slot
Out · to Indiana
Drew Clausen
no ’25 production record
Replaced
Low confidence
In · from Minot State
Caleb Schmidt
no ’25 production record · ls1 starter
Dec 28
▾ Detail
Partially replaced16 chains
QB
Starting slot
Out · to Penn State
Rocco Becht
rating 0.94 · 83rd pctl ’25 production · 204/337 · 2,565 pass yds · 16 TD · 9 INT
Partial replacement
High confidence
In · from Arkansas State
Jaylen Raynor
rating 0.85 · 97th pctl ’25 production · 332/500 · 3,364 pass yds · 19 TD · 11 INT · 428 rush yds · qb1 starter
Jan 4
▾ Detail
RB
Starting slot
Out · to Penn State
Carson Hansen
rating 0.88 · 94th pctl ’25 production · 950 rush yds · 5.1 ypc · 6 TD · 19 rec
Partial replacement
High confidence
In · from Bowling Green
Cameron Pettaway
rating 0.85 · 73rd pctl ’25 production · 365 rush yds · 5.1 ypc · kr1 starter
Jan 12
▾ Detail
WR
Starting slot
Out · to Penn State
Brett Eskildsen
rating 0.89 · 82nd pctl ’25 production · 30 rec · 526 yds · 5 TD
Partial replacement
Medium confidence
In · from Tarleton State
Cody Jackson
rating 0.86 · z1 starter
Jan 5
▾ Detail
WR
Starting slot
Out · to Penn State
Chase Sowell
rating 0.93 · 80th pctl ’25 production · 32 rec · 500 yds · 2 TD
Partial replacement
High confidence
In · from Tulane
Omari Hayes
rating 0.85 · 81st pctl ’25 production · 39 rec · 515 yds · 1 TD · h1 starter
Jan 6
▾ Detail
WR
Starting slot
Out · to Purdue
Xavier Townsend
rating 0.86 · 65th pctl ’25 production · 18 rec · 243 yds
Partial replacement
High confidence
In · from Michigan State
Evan Boyd
rating 0.85 · 33rd pctl ’25 production · 3 rec · 54 yds · x1 starter
Jan 9
▾ Detail
WR
Rotation slot
Out · to Hawai'i
Carson Brown
rating 0.85 · 41st pctl ’25 production · 7 rec · 83 yds
Partial replacement
Medium confidence
In · from Washington State
Carter Pabst
rating 0.85 · 55th pctl ’25 production · 9 rec · 168 yds · 1 TD · x2 rotation
Jan 6
▾ Detail
TE
Starting slot
Out · to Penn State
Benjamin Brahmer
rating 0.94 · 94th pctl ’25 production · 37 rec · 446 yds · 6 TD
Partial replacement
High confidence
In · from Arkansas State
Tyler Fortenberry
rating 0.86 · 85th pctl ’25 production · 32 rec · 294 yds · 2 TD · te1 starter
Jan 5
▾ Detail
OL
Starting slot
Out · to Nebraska
Brendan Black
rating 0.92
Partial replacement
Low confidence
In · from Akron
Maasai King
rating 0.86 · rt1 starter
Jan 4
▾ Detail
LB
Starting slot
Out · to Penn State
Kooper Ebel
rating 0.86 · 90th pctl ’25 production · 77 tkl · 8 TFL · 1 sk
Partial replacement
High confidence
In · from Washington State
Sullivan Schlimgen
rating 0.86 · 71st pctl ’25 production · 49 tkl · 1.5 TFL · mlb1 starter
Jan 6
▾ Detail
LB
Rotation slot
Out · to Penn State
Cael Brezina
rating 0.87 · 57th pctl ’25 production · 29 tkl · 1 PD
Partial replacement
Medium confidence
In · from Jacksonville State
Malcolm Jones
rating 0.86 · 79th pctl ’25 production · 51 tkl · 5 TFL · 3 sk · sam2 rotation
Jan 21
▾ Detail
LB
Rotation slot
Out · to Western Illinois
Nick Reinicke
36th pctl ’25 production · 7 tkl · 1 INT
Partial replacement
Medium confidence
In · from Texas-Permian Basin
T
Tristan Exline
rating 0.84 · mlb2 rotation
Jan 3
▾ Detail
CB
Starting slot
Out · to Michigan State
Tre Bell
rating 0.87 · 80th pctl ’25 production · 36 tkl · 4 TFL · 2 INT
Partial replacement
Medium confidence
In · from Montana State
Seth Johnson
rating 0.86 · rcb1 starter
Jan 10
▾ Detail
CB
Rotation slot
Out · to Mississippi State
Quentin Taylor Jr.
rating 0.85 · 70th pctl ’25 production · 27 tkl · 2 TFL · 5 PD
Partial replacement
Medium confidence
In · from Arkansas
Jaheim Singletary
rating 0.86 · 50th pctl ’25 production · 12 tkl · 1 PD · rcb2 rotation
Jan 15
▾ Detail
S
Starting slot
Out · to Penn State
Marcus Neal Jr.
rating 0.90 · 99th pctl ’25 production · 77 tkl · 11 TFL · 1 sk · 2 INT
Partial replacement
High confidence
In · from Washington State
Brody Miller
rating 0.83 · 18th pctl ’25 production · 2 tkl · fs1 starter
Jan 6
▾ Detail
S
Rotation slot
Out · to Penn State
Jamison Patton
rating 0.87 · 85th pctl ’25 production · 48 tkl · 1 TFL · 2 INT
Partial replacement
Medium confidence
In · from Montana
Micah Harper
rating 0.86 · ss2 rotation
Jan 18
▾ Detail
S
Rotation slot
Out · to UCLA
Ta'Shawn James
rating 0.86 · 73rd pctl ’25 production · 33 tkl · 5 PD
Partial replacement
Medium confidence
In · from Washington State
Duhron Goodman
rating 0.85 · 40th pctl ’25 production · 8 tkl · fs2 rotation
Jan 5
▾ Detail
Not replaced7 chains
QB
Production lost
Out · to Penn State
Alex Manske
rating 0.86 · 18th pctl ’25 production
Unresolved
Room restocked · slot open
In
No further two-deep addition
1 two-deep arrival answers other losses · 1 depth arrival in room
Jan 4
▾ Detail
RB
Production lost
Out · to Wisconsin
Abu Sama III
rating 0.88 · 85th pctl ’25 production · 732 rush yds · 5.2 ypc · 5 TD
Unresolved
Room restocked · slot open
In
No further two-deep addition
1 two-deep arrival answers other losses · 2 depth arrivals in room · 2 producing losses unanswered
Jan 3
▾ Detail
WR
Production lost
Out · to Penn State
Zay Robinson
rating 0.85 · 0th pctl ’25 production · 1 rec · 0 yds
Unresolved
Room restocked · slot open
In
No further two-deep addition
4 two-deep arrivals answer other losses · 1 depth arrival in room
Jan 5
▾ Detail
TE
Production lost
Out · to Penn State
Gabe Burkle
rating 0.88 · 86th pctl ’25 production · 26 rec · 302 yds · 1 TD
Unresolved
Room restocked · slot open
In
No further two-deep addition
1 two-deep arrival answers other losses · 2 depth arrivals in room · 2 producing losses unanswered
Jan 4
▾ Detail
LB
Production lost
Out · to unannounced
?
John Klosterman
24th pctl ’25 production · 5 tkl
Unresolved
Room restocked · slot open
In
No further two-deep addition
4 two-deep arrivals answer other losses · 1 depth arrival in room · 2 producing losses unanswered
Dec 26
▾ Detail
CB
Production lost
Out · to USC
Jontez Williams
rating 0.93 · 59th pctl ’25 production · 15 tkl · 1.5 TFL · 1 INT
Unresolved
Room restocked · slot open
In
No further two-deep addition
2 two-deep arrivals answer other losses · 4 depth arrivals in room
Jan 4
▾ Detail
S
Production lost
Out · to Wisconsin
Carson Van Dinter
rating 0.85 · 57th pctl ’25 production · 18 tkl · 0.5 TFL · 1 PD
Unresolved
Room restocked · slot open
In
No further two-deep addition
3 two-deep arrivals answer other losses · 1 depth arrival in room · 6 producing losses unanswered
Jan 3
▾ Detail
Quality vs experience
Portal rating
0.750.800.850.900.951.00
No ’25 production record
High-upside betProven impactDevelopmentalExperienced depth?
T
0th pctl25th pctl50th pctl75th pctl
’25 production · national position percentile
19 unrated moves not plotted — see the ledger
How much Iowa State depends on transfers
Projected 2026 two-deep · 58 slotsQuarterback50%
1
1
Skill (RB/WR/TE)50%
6
6
Offensive line70%
3
1
6
Front seven (EDGE/DL/LB)71%
4
10
Secondary (CB/S)63%
3
5
Specialists42%
7
5
Returning signeesPrior-cycle transfers2026 transfers
59%
Projected two-deep from transfers
34 of 58 two-deep slots
21 of 29
Projected starters from transfers
21 from the 2026 cycle, 0 held over
67th
Big 12 percentile · transfer share
6th-most transfer-dependent two-deep of 16 Big 12 teams
Returning portal corePrior-cycle transfers still in the two-deep
Austin Barrett
OL · from Indiana · 2025 cycle · RG2 rotation
—
no ’25 record
Where Iowa State’s transfers came from — and where they went
Sources · 51 arrivals55 departures · destinations
Arrived from · 51
Non-FBS
17 players
Pac-12
16 players
Mid-American
4 players
Big 12
4 players
SEC
3 players
Sun Belt
2 players
+
Other
5 players
Departed to · 55
Big Ten
33 players
+
Unannounced
7 players
Non-FBS
6 players
Sun Belt
2 players
SEC
2 players
ACC
1 player
+
Other
4 players
17arrivals came from Non-FBS programs — the single largest source.
31arrivals are projected straight into the two-deep (9 of 51 arrivals came from P4 leagues).
1departure stayed inside the Big 12.
How the window developed
Cumulative net moves · in − out3 undated moves not plotted
All portal moves
106 of 106 moves match · 25 shownShow
Role in
Sort
PlayerPosDirectionOrigin / destinationRating’25 productionEligProjected roleDate
IT
Winter window · 3★
MK
Winter window · 3★
CJ
Winter window · 3★