For Iowa State, the 2025 NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships weren’t all that memorable. Finishing 27th in the national tourney, the Cyclones didn’t leave much of a mark among their peers. However, with the next season on the horizon, it looks like the program is already doing its best to beef up the roster in a bid to win its 9th NCAA team title.

It’s been almost 4 decades since Iowa State won its last national wrestling crown. But after another poor campaign this season, it looks like the folks over in Ames are looking to post a bulky squad for the 2025-26 season.

A post by Des Moines Register’s Eli McKown on X from April 6 reveals the newest addition to the Cyclones’ roster. “Iowa State picks up an addition in the transfer portal with Isaac Dean,” the social media update notes, while highlighting how the Rider grad student finished his junior year with an impressive 25-8 overall record.

The X post shared the OG Instagram post of Dean, who shared news of his next career move with the caption, “Go Cyclones.” The 184-pounder qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time this year, where he reached Round 2 before being defeated by Illinois’ Edmond Ruth. The 2021 State Runner-Up for Shawnee High School is also a two-time regional champ and could be an emphatic addition to Iowa State’s roster.

Dean was the No. 7 seed in the 184lb bracket at this year’s national championship. With wins over the likes of South Dakota State’s Bennett Berge, Pittsburgh’s Reece Heller, and Maryland’s Jaxson Smith, Rider head coach John Hangey also had high hopes about Isaac pulling off some upsets at the NCAAs. “I told Isaac you’re the hardest kid to seed in this whole tournament. You have great wins, you lost 2-0 to a national finalist (Dustin Plott) but you have some head-scratching losses. But we knew it could be a top-10 seed,” Hangey said about his student’s chances of making an impact on the national stage.

Dean, too, was pumped, especially to be competing at the Fargo Center, a venue that’s very close to the place where he used to compete for his high school. “NCAAs is the Show, and it’s in Philly so a lot of people can see me. It fuels me a little bit,” the wrestler said about his excitement ahead of the NCAA event. However, that didn’t pan out as expected. On the other hand, while Iowa State has begun adding more depth to its attacking prowess for the next season, its in-state arch-rivals seem to be already a few steps ahead.

Iowa State won’t have it easy next season either

It’s only April, and the wrestling transfer portal is already in a state of flux. With a long list of wrestlers’ names appearing in the portal, it remains to be seen how the next season shapes up for the country’s top programs. Along with others, the Iowa Hawkeyes, arguably Iowa State’s biggest rivals, are also looking to rope in some of the most promising talent during the transfer window.

And from the looks of it, Tom Brands is quite a few moves ahead of the Cyclones. Just a few days ago, Coach Brands added Rutgers’ 125-pounder Dean Peterson to his camp. Peterson is a three-time NCAA qualifier and came within an arm’s reach of bagging an All-American honor. In the 2024-25 season, Peterson even recorded a win over Penn State’s Luke Lilledahl, underscoring his abilities on the mat.

The former Scarlet Knight athlete will be joined by two Little Rock wrestlers, Nasir Bailey and Jordan Williams, in Iowa City. On the other hand, the 2021 NCAA champ AJ Ferrari is also looking to find himself a new home after making his NCAA comeback with CSU Bakersfield last year. Speculations about Mr. Fast Twitch heading to UNC are doing the rounds on social media, and fans can’t wait to see where the 2025 PAC-12 champ ends up. Who do you think could be the standout star in the next NCAA season? Do you foresee anyone from Iowa State exerting their dominance? Share your predictions with us!