Taj Manning/Kansas State Athletics
Iowa State will be bringing a familiar opponent into the program to become a Cyclone. Taj Manning has committed to play under TJ Otzelberger for the 2026-2027 season out of the NCAA transfer portal, he announced. Manning spent the first four years of his career in Manhattan at Kansas State. But he now makes the move to Ames for what should be a final year of eligibility.
Manning took a redshirt as a true freshman before getting onto the court sporadically the next two seasons. Head coach Jerome Tang finally saw Manning step into a bigger role this past year, getting action in 30 games and starting 17 of them. Career-high production followed, as Manning averaged 4.2 points and 5.1 rebounds.
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“I’m so proud of Taj Manning,” Tang said of Manning during the 2023-2024 season. “The most of what I hope we do is develop men and teach them how to be great people first and love their teammates and care about the team more than they care about themselves. This week coming back, minutes in practice were cut down, and Taj could’ve stood on the sideline and sulked.
“Instead, he sent a text message to Anthony Winchester, who had the scout, and asked him if he could be on the scout team. You have a scholarship guy volunteering to be on the scout team to help the team in any way he can. Because of that he was ready for this (moment).”
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
Iowa State looking to repeat success of past season
Otzelberger has put together one of the more consistent programs in the Big 12 over recent seasons. Iowa State has made five consecutive NCAA Tournaments and does not really plan on slowing down. Especially after earning a two-seed this past year and making the Sweet Sixteen.
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Acquiring quality players, up and down the roster, is a requirement in order to do so. Manning will certainly be a part of the equation. He brings valuable Big 12 experience, even if Kansas Stae did not have the best on-court results. Iowa State will be able to rely on him on the glass, while possibly looking at finding a way to develop the scoring a little bit more.
