Northwestern Redshirt-Freshman Forward to Enter Transfer Portal

Injuries and illness limited the former three-star from receiving playing time.

Northwestern Wildcat teammates help Jalen Leach off the ground in a game against Maryland on January 16, 2025. | Photo: Northwestern Athletics

Northwestern head coach Chris Collins signed three players to his incoming freshmen class in 2023. Two years later, only one remains with the Wildcats.

Redshirt-freshman forward Blake Barkley announced in a social media post on Monday that he would be entering the transfer portal with three years of eligibility remaining.

Barkley redshirted his first season in Evanston, then played just four games in 2024-25. He scored his first career points with a basket against Lehigh and made another shot against Purdue. Barkley finishes his Northwestern career with 12 minutes played, four points and four rebounds.

The Morgantown, West Virginia native, who played his high school ball in Putnam, Connecticut, was a three-star prospect in the 2023 class. Guard Parker Strauss transferred to UC Riverside after his freshman season, leaving Jordan Clayton as the lone 2023 signee remaining at Northwestern.

Barkley's departure opens up a roster spot for Northwestern to add a second transfer in the portal. The Wildcats are set to welcome the No. 21 ranked freshman recruiting class in the nation this upcoming season with five members, so it'll surely be a fight for Northwestern players to crack the rotation.

All-Big Ten forward Nick Martinelli and wing Justin Mullins are the only true guarantees to start, while standout freshman combo guard K.J. Windham will likely take over a starting job in the backcourt. Clayton, Luke Hunger and Angelo Ciaravino will have the opportunity to compete for significant rotation minutes, but Blake Smith and Gus Hurlburt are facing an uphill battle to get playing time.

With the graduations of Brooks Barnhizer, Ty Berry, Matthew Nicholson, Jalen Leach and Keenan Fitzmorris, Collins is more primed than ever to make several splashes in the transfer portal. It should not come as any shock either if Barkley isn't the last Wildcat to leave this spring.