Last season, the Iowa State Cyclones brought in an intriguing guy out of the transfer portal who was expected to make a massive impact with the squad: Dominick Nelson .
Nelson was rated highly heading into the offseason after a great college career. He started by playing with the Polk State Eagles at the NJCAA Division I level, where he starred over two years. That earned him a big-time move to the Utah Valley Wolverines.
Nelson came out of nowhere and had an unbelievable season for Utah Valley, where he was the leading scorer on a team that reached the NIT. Nelson also won WAC Player of the Year, a fantastic achievement for someone who was playing NJCAA ball just a year prior.
After the great year, Nelson knew it was time for a jump and therefore entered the transfer portal. One tough decision later led him to Ames, IA, to Iowa State.
Mar 20, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Dominick Nelson (11) brings the ball upcourt against the Tennessee State Tigers during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Nelson was projected to be one of the better players on the team, but he quickly realized that the Cyclones weren't for him. He went from being a 14.4-point-per-game scorer to just 3.7 at Iowa State. Clearly, it wasn't the best choice to make the transfer .
Luckily, he was granted a fifth year in college after entering the transfer portal and recently announced that he would be returning to the Wolverines to run it back. And this is a great decision for him.
Nelson knows that Utah Valley understood how to get the best out of him, and that's exactly what he needs. Scoring the ball is his strong suit, and the Wolverines can help him do that. It's a system he knows well and a program he's already succeeded in, which further proves that it's the right decision for him to return for another year in the WAC.
He's a former conference player of the year, and returning once again should give him star status among others in the WAC and make him the early frontrunner to potentially do it again. While there are good players in the conference, there aren't too many who will be true competitors with Nelson, given how proven he is in the conference.
Sometimes transfers work out great, but sometimes it just isn't meant to be. For Nelson and the Cyclones, it just wasn't the match made in heaven that many thought it would be. But on the positive side, going back to his former team, where he will certainly do well, is the perfect place for him to go next season.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/iowa-state as Dominick Nelson Makes Perfect Move Leaving Iowa State for Utah Valley .
