Earlier this week, star Northwestern EDGE Anto Saka entered the transfer portal with a "do not contact" tag. The decision was surprising, but more because he didn't enter the NFL Draft process -- something many insiders projected him to do before the 2025 season.
The outcome after he entered, though, seemed obvious. Saka would follow his former defensive line coach to Penn State to spend one more season putting tape together for NFL scouts. The "do not contact" tag seemed like an obvious tell, and news of his transfer to Happy Valley would have been the next logical step.
But Saka had other plans. Instead, On3 reporter Hayes Fawcett reported this morning on X that Saka is actually headed south to Texas A&M for the 2026 season.
Now, one of the best players from Northwestern's 2025 defense will leave the conference and go play for a team fresh off a College Football Playoff berth. The Aggies are adding a pass rusher who totaled 41 tackles, 12 sacks and three forced fumbled with the 'Cats.
Saka likely entered the portal instead of the draft because he realized he needed to put up more numbers. All of the advanced analytics love him, but Saka has had an issue finishing plays and racking up sacks over his career with Northwestern.
This season, he had 3.5 total sacks, a respectable number but not one reflective of his talent or his impact on the game. The reality is that traits only get you so far. Production is an important piece of the puzzle, too, and that's what he's hoping to show in Texas.
The risk for Saka is that he could always slide down the depth chart at A&M. There will be higher level talent around him than there was in Evanston.
The potential reward, though, is high. Performing well with Northwestern is one thing, but showcasing your talent with a premier SEC program is another at this stage in college football. It could garner him much more media attention and much more draft hype -- not to mention NIL opportunities.
For Northwestern, this feels like a good outcome. Nobody was counting on Saka returning anyway because everyone thought he'd move on to the next level. Then, when he entered the portal, Penn State became an unfortunate possibility. Now, Saka will be out of the Big Ten, and it's less of a big deal.
Yesterday, the Wildcats started working on filling vacant pass rusher spots, securing an incoming transfer named Jamaal Johnson. Northwestern will likely need to continue adding at the position with the departure of Saka.