Jackson Shelstad Speaks Out About Explosive Transfer From Oregon Ducks

Just a day after junior forward Kwame Evans Jr. rocked the college basketball world by announcing his entry to the transfer portal from the Oregon Ducks Men's Basketball team, junior guard Jackson Shelstad announced his own departure from coach Dana Altman's squad.

A West Linn High School alumnus and the assumed successor to Boston Celtic's point guard Payton Pritchard's leadership role on the team, Shelstad's departure after his season was cut short due to injury signals a potential fallout for the Ducks' lineup after a disappointing 12-20 regular season record (5-15 in the Big Ten Conference), the worst overall performance in Altman's tenure at Oregon.

Oregon’s Jackson Shelstad, center, forces a turnover against Omaha’s Tony Osburn during the first half at Matthew Knight Arena Dec. 28, 2025. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jackson Shelstad Opens Up About Entering Transfer Portal

In a statement posted to his X account, Shelstad took a moment to thank the teammates, coaches, managers, and friends who made his experience with the Ducks something he's "truly grateful for".

"These last three years have been truly special," Shelstad said in his post. "As an Oregon kid, playing basketball for the University of Oregon was always a dream. To be able to have lived that is something I'll always be grateful for."

Oregon’s Jackson Shelstad, center, potentially out for the season with a hand injury, joins the team before the Michigan State at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene Jan. 20, 2026. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

A Shout-out to Dana Altman

Shelstad also takes a paragraph to specifically thank coach Altman, which gives the impression of a show of faith between an Oregon-born athlete and his former mentor. However, Shelstad's wording in the post did allude to a level of "struggle", likely due to a hand injury suffered in December that limited the rising talent to 12 games on the season.

"To Coach Altman, thank you for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to thrive and grow through struggle. To coaches [Josh] Jameison and [Mike] Mennega, thank you for going out of your way to be there for me, work me out, and make sure I always had everything I needed," Shelstad said in his social media post.

"After a lot of thought, I've made the difficult decision to enter the transfer portal and pursue other opportunities next year," Shelstad added. "I hope you can all understand and I'll always be a Duck."

Dec 28, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Jackson Shelstad (3) shoots a three point shot during the second half against the Omaha Mavericks at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

What Jackson Shelstad's Goodbye Means for Duck Fans

Obviously, a departure from a player that was on trend to become one of the best guards in the Big Ten with an average minutes per game over 32 minutes is a big red flag for the future of a program. However, with the added element that Shelstad is an Oregon native who spent the first three years of his college career with the Ducks, makes the move even more shocking.

Over the 12 games in the 2025-2026 season Shelstad did play, he put up15.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 4.9 assists. Shelstad never put in a season average minutes per game time under 30 minutes over his three seasons with the Ducks.

His best full season was 2024-2025, when Shelstad earned a nod as an All-Big Ten Third Team honors with a 45.1 field goal percentage, 13.7 points, 1.5 turnovers per game, and 2.7 assists. If Shelstad didn't suffer that fateful hand injury, his 2025-2026 season would further eclipse his previous season statistics.

Now, with a leader holding significant ties to the team and state departing the program, it will be a challenge for Altman to regroup and find a definitive leader to keep the Ducks on the right track and rebound (pun intended) for next season.

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