TAMPA, Fla. – University of South Florida forward Izaiyah Nelson is heading to the NBA, staying in his home state following a draft-night trade. The Washington Wizards selected Nelson with the 51st overall pick in the second round on Wednesday night before trading his draft rights directly to the Orlando Magic.
Nelson’s selection ends a 16-year draft drought for the South Florida basketball program. He is the first Bull to hear his name called since 2010, when the Memphis Grizzlies drafted first-team All-Big East guard Dominique Jones in the first round.
Nelson is the ninth player in USF history to be drafted, and just the third to be selected within the first two rounds. His spot at No. 51 ties all-time leading scorer Charlie Bradley for the third-highest draft pick in university history.
On the court, Nelson put together a historic campaign, becoming the first player in American Athletic Conference history to earn Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year honors all in the same season. He was the first player drafted out of the AAC this year, and the second collegiate player chosen from outside of the Power Five conferences.
Nelson anchored the Bulls by leading the conference with 9.6 rebounds per game while averaging 15.9 points on 56.1 percent shooting from the field. His presence above the rim was unmatched nationally, as he led the entire NCAA with 89 dunks. Over the course of the season, Nelson recorded 18 double-doubles—the second-most in a single season in school history—and logged 29 double-digit scoring performances, nine of which topped 20 points. Defensively, he tallied 56 steals and 48 blocked shots.
Nelson’s individual play translated directly to team success under first-year head coach Chris Mack. Nelson helped guide a completely reconstructed USF roster to a program-record-tying 25 wins, securing both the AAC regular season and tournament titles. The championship run earned the Bulls their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2012. In USF’s first-round tournament loss to Louisville, Nelson posted 22 points, nine rebounds, three blocks, and two steals.
The draft milestone follows a massive roster overhaul ahead of the season. Coach Mack welcomed 15 new players to Tampa after the program returned zero players from the previous year’s squad. The incoming group featured 12 transfer portal additions and three high school signees.
According to 247Sports, the transfer class included four players with a composite rating of .9100 or higher and a four-star rating. USF’s average transfer rating of 89.00 ranked third among all Group of 6 programs, pushing the overall class into the top 10 nationally within that designation.
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