Northwestern Football's Edge Rusher Anto Saka Enters Transfer Portal

Northwestern Football's Anto Saka Enters Transfer Portal

Anto Saka | Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

The confetti from the GameAbove Sports Bowl has barely settled, yet Northwestern football has already entered a defining stretch of its offseason. Less than two weeks after closing the year on a high note, attention has shifted fully toward roster retention. That transition became very real on Sunday evening, Jan. 4, when the first major domino of the offseason fell. Anto Saka, Northwestern’s standout edge rusher and a cornerstone of the Wildcats’ defensive front has officially entered the transfer portal as a redshirt junior with one year of eligibility remaining.

Northwestern's Anto Saka Became The Defensive Star with NFL Attention

Saka becomes the first Northwestern starter to leave Evanston this cycle. During his time at Northwestern, he emerged as one of the Big Ten’s most disruptive edge defenders. He finishes his Wildcats career with 12 sacks and 14 tackles for loss, consistently pressuring quarterbacks and anchoring the defense off the edge.

Northwestern edge rusher Anto Saka has entered the transfer portal, @chris_hummer and I have learned.

The 6-foot-4, 255-pounder ranked 56th on @BruceFeldmanCFB’s Freaks List last year. Has 12 career sacks. pic.twitter.com/8mWJxGGDQ2

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 5, 2026

Entering the 2025 season as a redshirt junior, Saka was ranked No. 56 on Bruce Feldman’s annual Freaks List. It was a recognition reserved for college football’s most elite athletes. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Saka was viewed as a viable NFL draft option had he chosen to declare instead of returning for another college season.

His decision became public in less than two hours. It was after Northwestern defensive line coach Christian Smith was announced as Penn State’s new defensive ends coach. According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Saka entered the portal with a do-not-contact tag. Penn State was one of Saka’s top three schools during his high school recruitment. The connection was impossible to ignore.

Saka’s departure represents the first major test of head coach David Braun’s offseason expectations. While losing Saka qualifies as a surprise, it also reflects the reality of the modern transfer portal. Productive edge rushers with NFL upside are among the most coveted players in college football.

Braun’s retention outlook remains largely intact for now, but the pressure will only increase. All-Big Ten safety Robert Fitzgerald is expected to draw serious interest of his own. Another high-impact loss would likely prompt Northwestern to be more aggressive in the transfer portal.

A Career Defined by Steady Growth

After redshirting in 2022, he broke out in 2023 with 5.5 sacks, the most by a Northwestern player in a debut season since 2017. He also became the first Wildcat since 2008 to record three sacks in his first five collegiate games.

In 2024, Saka played in 11 games and recorded 15 tackles, five tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. He earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention and Academic All-Big Ten honors while finishing 13th in the conference in pass-rush win percentage, according to PFF.

His 2025 season continued that trend. Saka recorded one sack, one tackle for loss, and four tackles against UCLA. He added a strip sack in a win over Purdue and remained a steady presence off the edge throughout the year.

A highly regarded recruit from Maryland, Saka was ranked as the No. 23 edge rusher nationally. He is also the No. 4 overall player in the state coming out of high school.

---

---

Stay up to date on the Wildcats by bookmarking   Northwestern On SI.