Tamin Lipsey’s time at Iowa State might not be finished after all.
The Cyclones already said farewell to Lipsey, Joshua Jefferson, Nate Heise and Eric Mulder at the end of the 2025-26 season after all four used up their eligibility. But the NCAA’s new 5-in-5 eligibility rules have opened the door for some players who were expected to be done, and Lipsey is now one of the names in the mix.
According to Travis Hines of the Des Moines Register, Lipsey is among more than 80 players seeking a fifth year of eligibility in a lawsuit filed in Indiana. Hines also shared a portion of the lawsuit tied to Lipsey, and the key detail for Iowa State is straightforward: if he gets another season, it would be to play for the Cyclones.
That matters because Iowa State is already dealing with a hole at point guard. Killyan Toure is out until January after hurting his shoulder this summer, and right now Bradley Braves transfer Jaquan Johnson and Robert Morris Colonials transfer Ryan Prather Jr. are projected to handle those duties in his absence.
Getting Lipsey back would change that picture in a hurry. He’d give the Cyclones the same steadiness and leadership he brought over four productive seasons in Ames, and he also leaves as Iowa State’s all-time leader in steals.
There are still hurdles to clear before anything becomes official, but one important factor works in Lipsey’s favor: he was never under contract with an NBA team. He agreed to an Exhibit-10 deal with the Indiana Pacers, but he never signed it.
The NCAA has been taking a harder line on players who previously signed NBA or professional deals, but Lipsey does not appear to fall into that group. On the new rules as they currently stand, he looks like the kind of player who could qualify for another season if the lawsuit goes his way.
If that happens, the ripple effect for Iowa State could be significant. A Lipsey return would reshape the 2026-27 rotation, alter the lineups and raise the question of how the rest of the roster fits around head coach T.J. Otzelberger’s plans.
In Other News...
Tamin Lipseys Iowa State Future Now Hinges On One Decision
Former Iowa State guard Tamin Lipsey is waiting on a legal ruling that could shape what comes next in his college career. He is among the athletes involved in a case seeking a preliminary injunction that would allow players to compete in a fifth season, and the matter is now in the hands of Indiana's Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Kara Krothe, whose decision is expected soon.
For Iowa State, the outcome carries obvious interest because Lipsey was such a central piece of the program's recent success, and any chance to extend his college run would ripple beyond just one roster spot. Even as the legal process plays out, the Cyclones have moved on to other fall business, including adjustments in punt return roles and the release of the Big 12 schedule, but Lipsey's future remains one of the more closely watched unresolved storylines around the program. [Read more 🡒]
Former Cyclones Are Already Giving Iowa State Fans Plenty To Talk About
The first week of the 2026 NFL season gave Iowa State fans an early chance to keep tabs on a familiar crop of former Cyclones, and the results were hard to ignore. Breece Hall made a strong opening statement for the New York Jets with 102 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Brock Purdy turned in another steady day for the San Francisco 49ers with three passing touchdowns. For a fan base that has followed both players from Ames to the league, it was the kind of start that keeps the group text busy before the calendar even settles into September.
Elsewhere, the former Cyclones were spread across several games, adding to the list of storylines worth monitoring as the season gets rolling. The article also tracked snap counts and injury updates, a reminder that the NFL grind can change quickly even after one week, and that the opening stretch often reveals as much about role and availability as it does about raw production. For Iowa State supporters, the interest is not just in who flashed early, but in how many of these familiar names can keep building from here. [Read more 🡒]
Boston College Faces A Brutal Reality In The ACC Talent Race
Iowa States place in the broader college football money race looks a lot like the one it has fought for years: competitive enough to matter, but still operating in a world where roster-building dollars can separate the haves from the have-nots. A new look at estimated 2026 roster spending across Power 4 programs puts the focus on the schools at the lower end of the scale, and the Cyclones are part of that group alongside programs such as Boston College, Duke, Arizona and Cincinnati. The numbers are estimates, not confirmed figures, but the snapshot offers a useful read on how much latitude different schools may have as the sport keeps tilting toward financial muscle.
What makes the picture more interesting is how varied the reasons are behind those spending ranges. Donor motivation, athletic department priorities and recent coaching changes all play into where a program lands, which means the gap is not just about size or conference affiliation. For Iowa State, the key question is how far it can stretch in a talent market that keeps getting more expensive, especially if the schools around it are making their own push to close ground in the same recruiting and transfer spaces. [Read more 🡒]