Izaiyah Nelson is the Bulls’ 6-10 paint anchor who turned production into NBA attention
In the 2025-26 season, Izaiyah Nelson was the engine of South Florida’s frontcourt, averaging 15.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.0 block, and 1.0 steal per game while helping the Bulls to a program-record-tying 25 wins, an American regular-season and tournament title, and an NCAA Tournament berth. He’s valuable because he impacts winning on both ends: physical rim protection, elite rebounding, and efficient interior scoring, plus the motor to stack double-doubles. He also brought unusual conference history, becoming the first American player to win Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year in the same season.
