Northwestern is reportedly pursuing Cornell guard Jake Fiegen in the transfer portal, likely hoping to secure a visit with him after the NCAA Championship. Fiegen is a local product, and now another Ivy League player with Chicago ties has entered the transfer portal.
According to Pete Nakos of On3, Penn forward Ethan Roberts is going to be searching for a new home once the portal opens. With one season of eligibility left, Roberts is coming off his best year in which he averaged 16.9 points per game and four rebounds.
Listed as a forward, Roberts is only 6-foot-5, so if he decides to transfer to a higher-level conference he might struggle at that spot. A move to the guard spot might make sense if he thinks he can handle it.
Roberts is from Arlington Heights in Illinois, and the first stop in his college career was in the Patriot League at Army. He then transferred to Penn and has been there ever since.
The news of his entrance to the portal just broke yesterday, so the Wildcats haven't been tied to him yet. But Roberts is exactly the type of player Northwestern tends to target, as well as the type of player it usually has the best chance to get.
The local ties obviously help. Any time a player is looking to transfer, coming home is likely an enticing option. At Northwestern, his family and friends could make the short drive to come watch him play at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Typically, though, the 'Cats have to fight with local power houses like Illinois for the services of highly ranked local recruits. In this case, however, Northwestern has an academic advantage over lots of programs that might be interested.
As with Fiegen, Roberts could be looking to finish off his academic career at an institution like Northwestern. Often, NU's high academic standards hurt it in recruiting players for basketball and football. But that's not the case with a guy coming over from an Ivy League school.
As for Roberts' fit as a player, the size thing is a little concerning, but he'd give the 'Cats an element they didn't have last season. Roberts shot 40% from three in 2025-26, and Northwestern desperately needs to add players with that ability after a lackluster season from beyond the arc.
Outside of the guard spot, Chris Collins and co. need to find a center to sure up that position after redshirt freshman Cade Bennerman entered the portal. But that's a problem for another day. For now, there's two Ivy League guards in the portal who make sense, and it will be interesting to see whether the 'Cats pounce.