After losing nine players from the 2025-26 season roster, Northwestern progressed its search in the transfer portal, adding 6-foot-10, 255-pound forward/center Luke McEldon from Mount St. Mary’s on Wednesday.
The London, England native announced his commitment via social media, and the program quickly confirmed the move. McEldon becomes the Wildcats’ second portal addition under head coach Chris Collins, following forward Jack Karasinski from Bellarmine.
Noteably, McEldon will join incoming freshmen Jayden Hodge (Belgium) and Symon Ghai (South Sudan) as the third international player on the team.
McEldon had a strong breakout season in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC), starting 29 of 30 games with the Mountaineers. He averaged 11.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.6 blocks in 25.6 minutes per game while shooting a stunning 64.5% from the field — leading the team and the whole conference in this category and ranking ninth in the country.
Prior to Mount St. Mary’s, McEldon spent two seasons at Santa Clara. As a freshman in 2023-24, he played in 11 games off the bench, averaging 1.5 points and 1.5 rebounds in 5.8 minutes per game. As NorthwesternRoundtable confirmed from Mid-Major Madness's reporter Sam Federman, his sophomore year in 2024-25 was cut short in just three games due to a hip labrum injury, resulting in a redshirted sophomore year after he transferred to Mount St. Mary's.
The redshirt preserved McEldon's eligibility, allowing him to play a full season in 2025-26 before transferring again. As a result, he will arrive at Evanston with two years of eligibility remaining.
Nov 25, 2025; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers forward Luke McEldon (21) goes to the basket as Ohio State Buckeyes forward Amare Bynum (1) defends during the first half at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn ImagesA former three-star recruit in the 2023 class, McEldon was ranked among the top prospects in New England (No. 4 in Massachusetts and No. 12 regionally by the New England Recruiting Report). He played at Bishop Walsh High School, Oak Hill Academy and Cushing Academy before choosing Santa Clara over offers from Texas A&M, LMU, Brown, Massachusetts, East Carolina, UMBC and Virginia Tech.
In the portal, McEldon drew interest from Michigan State and Mississippi State. He currently ranks around 166th in the portal and as high as 16th as a center, according to On3.
Following Arrinten Page and Tyler Kropp's departures, McEldon is expected to provide immediate frontcourt depth. The big man excels as a physical back-to-the-basket scorer, screener and rebounder, though he has not yet developed perimeter range (0-for-3 from three in his college career). He should pair well with Ghai, a 7-foot-2 center from The Academy of Central Florida, giving Northwestern a better look at size and interior presence to compete in the physical Big Ten.
At 6-10 and 255 pounds, McEldon brings experience and efficiency that could help the 'Cats improve their rebounding and paint scoring. With Karasinski and McEldon in the fold, Collins has moved quickly to rebuild the roster and maintain competitiveness in the conference.