To go along with the players graduating from Northwestern, eight athletes entered their names into the transfer portal. Among them are Tre Singleton, Arrinten Page and Tyler Kropp — the three rotational bigs for the Wildcats not named Nick Martinelli.
Here’s what those departures mean for the ‘Cats in 2026 and beyond.
What NU is losing
The Singleton news was a shocker. The first-year forward was the most highly touted recruit Chris Collins had ever landed, and he was used like a top-100 recruit. Singleton played in 34
games this season with 31 starts, in which he averaged 7.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists on 25.0 minutes per game. He played 851 total minutes this season, putting him third on the ‘Cats behind Nick Martinelli and Jayden Reid. The most mind-boggling part of his decision to transfer is that he’s leaving a situation where he would have more than likely been the featured player at a Big Ten school, to likely be a bench player for a power conference school or a starter on a mid-major team. Logistically, it doesn’t really make sense, but it’s a new era of college sports so nothing is surprising anymore.
As for Page, him putting his name into the mix wasn’t as surprising. The junior forward will now play his senior season at his fourth school in four years (unless he goes back to either USC or Cincinnati), so the history of him changing schools speaks for itself. Page did have his best collegiate season with Northwestern, in which he appeared in 29 games with 16 starts, averaging 10.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. He did this playing 22.9 minutes per game and shot the ball at a 54.6% clip. Page, like Singleton, would have been a heavily featured piece for the Wildcats if he did choose to stay, but that’s not how it’s playing out. Once again, the new era of college sports is coming into play.
Kropp announced his decision to enter the portal after both Singleton and Page, but was also a bit of a surprise. The first-year forward played in 31 games with 10 starts as he averaged 3.1 points and 2.1 rebounds in 11.8 minutes per game, while shooting 44.2% from the field and 92.3% from the free throw line. Kropp had a few games during the season where he really showcased his talents, as well as playing a pivotal role in the Big Ten Tournament with Page out. If Kropp remained with the Wildcats, especially after Singleton and Page both left, he would have had a great opportunity to become a focal point for this roster. Instead, he chose to take his talents elsewhere.
Best of luck to these three and the rest of Northwestern’s transfers.
What are the next steps
While the entire roster has holes to fill with an abundance of players not on the roster for the 2026-27 season, getting bigs is imperative for the ‘Cats to match the height of other Big Ten opponents. There are many players in the transfer portal who are 6-foot-10 or taller, and bringing in any of those guys would instantly make them the second-tallest player on the team behind 7-foot-3 incoming recruit Symon Ghai. While Northwestern does have two bigs coming in through recruiting, Ghai has only played basketball for a few years and needs more time to develop, and Jayden Hodge tore his ACL in January.
Jake West coming back is huge for Chris Collins, as it allows him to focus more on bringing in front court pieces in the portal with a cornerstone at guard remaining. The ways of doing this and the results are still to be seen, though. Lately in college basketball, having elite front court play separates the good teams from the great ones. With the breadth of options in the portal for Northwestern to target, there will certainly be a very new-look front court in 2026-27, but it’s going to be about how well the new team meshes.
Additionally, the Wildcats should keep looking to bring in players in the 2026 recruiting class. There are many players who are either unsigned or have signed with other schools that still could be persuaded to leave and come play for Collins. Another option that has proven to be successful is to recruit from overseas like Illinois did last season and what Penn State has done this offseason. The options are there; it’s just about actually succeeding, and knowing Collins’ track record with transfers, there is definitely hope.
