Milan Momcilovic’s path out of Iowa State ended up paying off in a big way.
After entering the 2026 NBA Draft and then pulling out, the sharpshooter was no longer part of the Cyclones’ plans. By that point, Iowa State had already moved on in the transfer portal, locking in five additions before Momcilovic made his final call. He eventually chose Kentucky, and the Wildcats clearly weren’t shy about the price tag.
That decision came with a massive NIL haul. On3’s updated top 10 list of NIL valuations across college sports now measures what athletes are making right now, rather than projecting future market value, and Momcilovic sits at No. 1 in men’s basketball and No. 2 overall. His valuation is listed at $6 million, trailing only Miami (FL) quarterback Darian Mensah, who transferred from Duke to an ACC rival this offseason.
For Momcilovic, that number represents a level of money he almost certainly wasn’t going to touch by staying in Ames. It also would have been out of reach had he stayed in the 2026 NBA Draft, where he was viewed as a fringe prospect who could have gone undrafted.
Men’s basketball players fill most of the top of the list. Flory Bidunga, who moved from Kansas to Louisville, is No. 3 with a $6 million valuation, and Louisville is said to be spending about $20 million on its roster.
Tounde Yessoufou comes in at No. 6 after withdrawing from the 2026 NBA Draft and transferring from Baylor to St. John’s. His $5 million valuation likely helped push the market for players like Momcilovic even higher.
Florida forward Thomas Haugh is No. 7. Like Yessoufou, he was projected as a first-round pick but chose to return to college.
Massamba Diop, who transferred from Arizona State to Gonzaga, checks in at No. 9 with a $5 million valuation.
The top 10 is rounded out by freshman Tyran Stokes, the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2026. He’s headed to Kansas after choosing the Jayhawks over Kentucky.
In Other News...
Iowa State May Have Found Its Next Big Portal Test
Iowa States front office work for the 2026-27 roster is already taking shape, and Tre Singleton is one of five transfers the Cyclones are bringing in as they try to keep the programs frontcourt identity intact. The Northwestern transfer arrives with a reputation for doing a little bit of everything, and both T.J. Otzelberger and Singleton have pointed to his passing and rebounding as the traits that can help him fit quickly into what Iowa State wants to do.
Singletons role matters because the Cyclones are not just filling a spot, they are trying to preserve the kind of ball movement and physicality that has become part of the programs edge. He started most of his games last season and showed enough versatility to make him an intriguing piece in Ames, but the bigger question is how he meshes with the rest of the incoming class and whether that group can help Iowa State absorb the loss of a major interior presence without losing its identity. [Read more 🡒]
BYU Just Landed In A Big 12 Quarterback Ranking Debate
A fresh quarterback ranking for the 2026 Big 12 picture puts Iowa State right in the middle of a debate that will shape how tough next season feels for the Cyclones. The list runs through 12 likely starters and weighs past production, experience and projected impact, giving a useful snapshot of the leagues passing landscape before anyone has actually settled a depth chart.
For Iowa State, the takeaway is less about where one name lands and more about how the schedule stacks up around it. The rankings suggest the Cyclones will see everything from the lower end of the quarterback pool to some of the conferences most intriguing arms, with Iowa standing out as one of the toughest games on the slate even though its quarterback situation is viewed as shaky. [Read more 🡒]