AMES, Iowa – Iowa State head men’s basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger has announced the addition of five transfers to the 2026-27 Iowa State roster. Leon Bond III (Northern Iowa), Jaquan Johnson (Bradley), Taj Manning (Kansas State), Ryan Prather Jr. (Robert Morris) and Tre Singleton (Northwestern) will all join the Cyclones this summer.
Bond is a 6-5 guard out of Wauwatosa, Wis., who played for the Panthers the last two seasons after spending his first two seasons, including a redshirt year, at Virginia. He played the 2023-24 season at Virginia with current Cyclone Blake Buchanan. Bond comes to Iowa State with one season of eligibility remaining.
He earned Missouri Valley All-Defensive Team honors, while also being named to the MVC All-Tournament Team following the Panthers run to the title. Starting all 36 games for UNI last season, Bond averaged 11.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.7 blocked shots per game. In 83 career games played, he has started 57 while scoring 746 points, good for 9.0 per game. He has also averaged 4.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game in his career.
“Leon Bond constantly puts pressure on the defense with his ability to get into the paint, make plays for himself and his teammates, and knockdown shots on the perimeter,” Otzelberger said. “We’re excited for Leon defensively, as his length, instincts and competitive spirit will make him a menace on the defensive end of the floor. As much as we look at the physical things, his infectious personality and leadership style will be assets for our program.”
Johnson is a 5-11 guard out of Milwaukee, Wis., who played for the Braves the last two seasons. Johnson was named the MVC Defensive Player of the Year, while also earning a spot on the All-MVC First Team, the MVC All-Defensive Team and the MVC Most Improved Team. During his freshman year, he earned a spot on the MVC All-Freshman Team. Johnson comes to Iowa State with two seasons of eligibility remaining.
He had three games of 30-plus points this past season, becoming the first Brave to do so since 1991. He also tied the Bradley single-game steals record with nine against UT-Martin, while his 85 steals last season were the second-most in program history. During his freshman year, he appeared in 37 games, averaging 6.6 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. Starting 34 games as a sophomore, he improved his numbers to 16.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.5 steals per game.
“An electric, downhill guard, Jaquan Johnson has the innate ability to bring speed and quickness to the game on both ends of the floor,” Otzelberger said. “His playmaking ability will allow us to get out in transition. Defensively, he provides outstanding ball pressure at the point of attack and has proven to be one of the highest steal rate players in the country. He leads with a quiet confidence, while his toughness and workmanlike status will help elevate our program.”
Manning is a 6-7 forward out of Grandview, Mo., who played for the Wildcats the last four seasons. He redshirted his freshman year at Kansas State. Manning comes to Iowa State with one season of eligibility remaining. Manning has appeared in a pair of games against the Cyclones in his career, grabbing four rebounds with a pair of blocked shots in the game last season in Manhattan.
He played 52 games for Kansas State, starting 18 of them. Last year, he averaged 4.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. In Big 12 play, Manning averaged 5.3 points and 6.1 rebounds to go along with 1.4 assists per game. He scored in double figures three times, with two of those games being at No. 3 Houston and at No. 13 Texas Tech. He also had a season-high 10 rebounds against TCU. He had multiple blocked shots in seven games, including a season-high three at No. 13 Texas Tech.
“Taj Manning’s physicality will control the paint on both ends,” Otzelberger said. “Offensively, his ability to chase down rebounds and finish around the basket will punish teams inside. He also has the ability to attack closeouts and knockdown open shots. Taj has tremendous defensive versatility and can guard the basketball one-through-five. His communication, maturity and leadership will impact every member of our program. We recruited Taj out of high school and are excited to reconnect with him on this journey.”
Prather is a 6-5 guard out of Clarksburg, Md., who played for the Colonials the last two seasons after spending his first two seasons, including a redshirt year, at Akron. Prather is set to be the first Cyclone ever from Maryland. Prather comes to Iowa State with one season of eligibility remaining.
He earned Second Team All-Horizon League honors this past season. Prather has appeared in 83 games in his career, including 45 starts over the last two seasons at Robert Morris. During his redshirt-junior season, he averaged 15.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 0.9 steals per game for the Colonials. He scored 20-plus points nine times last season, including a career-high 29 against Detroit. At 4.44, Prather led the country in assist-to-turnover ratio.
“A big guard, Ryan Prather has proven to be an excellent decision maker, evidence by leading the country in assist-to-turnover ratio,” Otzelberger said. “He’s somebody that takes tremendous pride in taking care of the basketball, while also proving himself as a knock-down 3-point shooter. Defensively, he uses his size and length to disrupt opposing offenses, and we look forward to him impacting the glass. Ryan is a natural leader and has a personality that will positively impact our team.”
Singleton is a 6-8 forward out of Jeffersonville, Ind., who played for the Wildcats last season. Singleton comes to Iowa State with three seasons of eligibility remaining. Singleton played for Northwestern in an exhibition game against the Cyclones in Hilton Coliseum this past season, scoring 14 points with five rebounds in the ISU victory.
He played in all 34 games for the Wildcats, starting 31 of them. He averaged 7.6 points per game, the most by a Northwestern freshman since 2015-16, while also adding 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He scored in double figures 10 times, while recording his first career double-double with 17 points and 18 rebounds against Penn State. He also had a 10 rebound game, with eight points, against Wisconsin. He averaged 6.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in eight games against ranked Big Ten opponents last season.
“Tre Singleton’s advantage creating ability presents a mismatch for opposing defenses,” Otzelberger said. “He’s a downhill playmaker that constantly puts pressure on the rim and will get us going in transition every time he grabs a rebound. Defensively, he takes great pride in being disruptive, getting stops, and finishing possessions. He is a fierce competitor who lays it on the line every time he steps on the court. He will make a massive impact on our program.”
