Northwestern is losing another player to the transfer portal today, according to college basketball recruiting analyst Sam Kayser. This time, it's rising senior guard Jordan Clayton, who was a captain on last year's squad.
The 'Cats had already lost Tre Singleton and Arrinten Page from their 2025-26 rotation, as well as young talents in big man Cade Bennerman and guard K.J. Windham. Now, Northwestern will be down another guard it was counting on to contribute in the upcoming season.
This one comes as more of a surprise than the others, save for Singleton, because Clayton seemed to be carving out a role for himself at the end of the year. After two difficult seasons to start his career -- the second of which he intended to redshirt before selflessly burning it due to injuries -- Clayton emerged as a shooting threat late this season.
On the campaign as a whole, he finished averaging just 3.9 points per game, but he shot the three-ball at a 41% clip, the highest of his career by far. Most of his production came towards the end of Big Ten play, so his counting stats aren't fantastic, but he was also a high-quality defender.
Another reason this decision feels surprising is that Clayton was in Evanston for one of the recent NCAA Tournament appearances. He played with the guys who made this program known for high retention rates, and he was the ultimate team player two years ago when teammates went down and he was needed.
As a captain, Clayton was a glue guy for the Wildcats. As much as losing a player who seemed to be emerging hurts, losing his leadership and winning pedigree might hurt even more.
The transfer portal opens for business tomorrow, and it's safe to say that Chris Collins has a lot on his plate. He's going to have to fill out a large chunk of the roster with all of these players in the portal, and now he's going to have to get a playable guard.
With Clayton in the fold, that position felt like a remaining strength as the 'Cats still have standout freshman PG Jake West, as well as Jayden Reid on the roster. Angelo Ciaravino is also technically a guard, though he plays more like a three at times.
In addition, Collins absolutely has to nab a quality forward and another big man. With Singleton and Page gone, NU's front court basically consists of Tyler Kropp and incoming freshman Symon Ghai.
Northwestern should have learned its lesson after not having enough big bodies last year. It's paramount that it addresses that this offseason if it wants to compete with the size-heavy teams in the Big Ten.
Clayton will also begin searching for a new home tomorrow. Do not be surprised to see him break out as a senior with a different team armed with his newfound ability from beyond the arc.