This offseason was a busy one for Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball head coach T.J. Otzelberger.He reaffirmed his commitment to the program, agreeing to a 10-year extension to remain with the school. That will aid when recruiting so that players know Otzelberger is going to be there for the long haul.Alas, there was an overhaul on the coaching staff under him and on the roster. Two assistants, JR Blount and Kyle Green, departed for head coaching positions with the San Diego Toreros and Northern Iowa Panthers.Four players from the rotation, Tamin Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson, Milan Momcilovic and Nate Heise, aren’t returning. Cade Kelderman, Dominick Nelson and Mason Williams also entered the transfer portal, leaving a lot of minutes and production to be replaced on the roster.T.J. Otzelberger plans on using all transfer in rotationMar 26, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach T.J. Otzelberger speaks ahead of the Midwest regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at United Center. | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn ImagesOtzelberger hit the transfer portal hard, bringing in Jaquan Johnson, Taj Manning, Tre Singleton, Leon Bond III and Ryan Prather Jr. That is five players for seemingly four spots, so finding minutes could be a challenge.However, while speaking to the media at the Cyclone Tailgate Tour, the head coach revealed his plans for the transfers: all of them are going to be in the rotation.“So, all five guys, to me, will be guys part of our rotation. When you bring in transfers, you want to have an opportunity that they’re looking for, and we feel great that all those guys line up in one line,” Otzelberger said, via Bill Seals of Cyclone Report (subscription required).There is going to be some intense competition for minutes during the offseason and training camp. The Cyclones have Killyan Toure, Jamarion Batemon, Blake Buchanan and Dominykas Pleta returning after playing significant roles during the 2025-26 season.T.J. Otzelberger goes in-depth on what the five transfer portal additions are bringing to Ames.Leon Bond: "Coming from Northern Iowa, an extremely athletic guard that could play multiple positions. We see him as a guy that can make more plays than what he's been asked to do up… pic.twitter.com/1JwaGHopNI— Jake Brend (@JakeBrendTV) May 19, 2026With a year of experience in Otzelberger’s system under their belts, they will assuredly have a leg up on the newcomers. However, it sounds as if there is a plan in place for everyone to have a shot to contribute.The non-conference portion of the schedule could certainly be used to experiment and see what works. Nelson and Eric Mulder both received minutes during out-of-conference games before the rotation was scaled back for Big 12 play.A similar strategy could be used next season, with the newcomers all bringing something to the table that can help the team win.Johnson is expected to get the first crack at replacing Lipsey, a four-year starter who went down as one of the best players in Iowa State history. Bond looks like the perfect replacement for Heise as the do-it-all wing.Iowa State will have incredible depth next seasonMar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones forward Blake Buchanan (23) shoots as Kentucky Wildcats center Malachi Moreno (24) defends during the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. | Jeff Curry-Imagn ImagesSingleton was referred to as a Jefferson replacement, someone Otzelberger and the staff can hopefully develop similarly. Manning brings toughness on the interior, something that was sometimes missing this past season.Prather brings size to the backcourt and is someone who can initiate offense with elite ball security and knock down 3-pointers.The Cyclones may not have the name recognition and star power on the 2026-27 roster as in the previous season, but an argument could be made that the team is deeper and even more talented. Don’t forget the Class of 2026 with four-star players Jackson Kiss and Christian Wiggins, along with three-star players Yusef Gray Jr. and Dorian Rinaldo-Komlan.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow