The 'Cats are starting the process of rebuilding their roster.
Yesterday was a day Northwestern fans won't soon forget. Three Wildcats -- Jordan Clayton, Jayden Reid and Tyler Kropp -- announced their respective decisions to enter the transfer portal, bringing NU's total to eight players searching for new schools.
Today, the transfer portal opens for business. With the National Championship officially wrapped up and fellow Big Ten team Michigan atop the sport, Northwestern will begin the process of building its roster back up.
Nobody has committed yet, but the Wildcats are reportedly one of four schools in the mix for Cornell guard Jake Fiegen. Fiegen is currently weighing his options between Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Villanova and Virginia, according to College Basketball Content on X.
Fiegen is a local product, coming out of Wilmette, Illinois just north of Northwestern's campus. He's coming off the best season of his career, in which he averaged 17.1 points per game, 5.1 rebounds and shot 54.6% from the field. He also shot the ball at a 41% clip from beyond the arc.
There's a lot to like about the rising senior, who spent three seasons with Cornell playing consistently in games. For Northwestern, adding a player with three-point ability would be massive, especially since the 'Cats struggled mightily in that department last season.
They also just saw perhaps their most promising three-point threat, Jordan Clayton, walk out the door. Bottom line -- Chris Collins needs to get some shooters in the mix, and Fiegen is one of his better, realistic options. According to 247, he's the No. 134 player in the portal right now which should be in NU's wheelhouse.
Fiegen's size as a guard is also part of why he's so intriguing. Standing at 6-foot-6, he has the ability to get his efficient shot off over bigger defenders. That's crucial, especially when a player is trying to make the jump to a bigger, more athletic league like the Big Ten.
As for Fiegen's list of schools, it makes a lot of sense. Often, these Ivy League players like to go to schools with better basketball programs that still have top-notch academics. All four schools on his list boast that quality to some degree, so Northwestern won't be able to fully separate itself there.
All three of the other programs are also coming off of NCAA Tournament seasons. Northwestern, meanwhile, was poor in 2025-26 and currently has just six players on its roster.
But the mass exodus could have been a calculated decision. With less players on the roster, Collins should have more NIL money to play with than he did before. How he allocates those funds remains to be seen, but prioritizing getting Fiegen into the building seems like it would make sense.
He's exactly the kind of player that has been able to thrive here in recent seasons, and Collins has to get the ball rolling somehow. Expect a resolution on Fiegen's transfer decision in the near future.