The Iowa State Cyclones had a lot of work to do in the transfer portal this offseason, given how much talent they lost from the roster.

Star forward Joshua Jefferson was a first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Record-setting shooter Milan Momcilovic tested the NBA draft waters but withdrew and transferred to the Kentucky Wildcats. Point guard Tamin Lipsey had exhausted his eligibility.

Replacing those three stars was virtually impossible, but the Cyclones did what they could, bringing in a lot of talent in the transfer portal. One of those additions was Jaquan Johnson, who was viewed as the perfect replacement for Lipsey.

However, a favorable court ruling means that Johnson will now share the backcourt with Lipsey, not replace him. That raises the team’s ceiling, because the former Bradley Braves star is one of the most impactful transfers in the country.

Jaquan Johnson is perfect fit for Iowa State scheme

Over at ESPN, Jeff Borzello and Paul Biancardi put together a list of the most impactful transfers in men’s college basketball. Johnson was one of the 16 sleeper newcomers and with good reason.

There wasn’t a player in the transfer portal who could more closely resemble what Lipsey brings to the court. An undersized guard himself, measured at 5-foot-11, Johnson is the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

He led the conference with 84 total steals and 2.5 steals per game. His 4.9% steal rate, 3.2 Offensive Win Shares, 5.1 Win Shares and +7.4 Box Plus/Minus all led the Missouri Valley Conference as well.

Johnson was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team along with the MVC All-Defensive Team. Along with the DPOY, he was named the Most Improved Player in the conference.

He stuffed the stat sheet, averaging 16.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 30.4 minutes per game. Johnson puts relentless pressure on opponents on both ends of the court, playing hounding defense while getting downhill and drawing fouls. Despite having the ball in his hands as much as he did, with a 28.1% usage rate, he averaged only 1.4 turnovers per game.

That kind of production and skill set would have definitely been helpful in replacing Lipsey. Now, head coach T.J. Otzelberger has two bulldogs who will hound opponents on the perimeter with ball pressure.

When Killyan Toure is healthy enough to return to the lineup, Otzelberger will be able to apply that pressure every second, having three elite point-of-attack defenders to rely on at the head of his defense.