Purdue Basketball Lands Transfer Pledge From Former Ivy League Player of the Year
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One of the top players on the open market will finish his college basketball career at Purdue.
Caden Pierce, a former Ivy League Player of the Year and a 6-foot-7 forward, announced his commitment to Purdue on Friday. He spent three years at Princeton and will have one season of eligibility to use in West Lafayette.
Pierce decided to redshirt duirng the 2025-26 season to retain his last year of eligibility. He is completing his degree at Princeton.
The 6-foot-7 wing was named the Ivy League Player of the Year following the 2023-24 season after averaging 16.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. He shot 54.6% from the field and 34.2% from three-point range.
Boiler Up! 🚂 @BoilerBall pic.twitter.com/Wv1xTLKfvq
— Caden Pierce (@CadenPierce_3) February 13, 2026
As a freshman during the 2022-23 season, Pierce was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year after averaging 8.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest. That year, Princeton made a run to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to Creighton.
With Purdue losing Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn, Fletcher Loyer, Liam Murphy and likely Oscar Cluff after the 2025-26 season, Matt Painter will need senior leadership and experience on the roster. He's getting exactly that with the addition of Pierce.
Pierce joins skilled 2026 recruiting class
Painter still focuses on high school recruiting to sustain his program in West Lafayette, but the Boilermakers have also added some pieces via the transfer portal over the years. Pierce is the latest example, and he'll join a talented group of incoming freshmen.
The Boilermakers have the sixth-ranked recruiting class in 2026, according to 247Sports. Purdue is bringing in four-star point guard Luke Ertel, four-star shooting guard Jacob Webber, four-star center Sinan Huan and three-star forward Rivers Knight.
Although Purdue is losing a lot of experience with Smith, Loyer and Kaufman-Renn departing, this is a team that will theoretically return CJ Cox, Gicarri Harris, Daniel Jacobsen, Jack Benter, Raleigh Burgess and Antione West Jr. That's a strong core, though one that will have to replace a lot of production.
There's still a possibility that one or multiple players enter the transfer portal, but that won't be known until the conclusion of the 2025-26 season.
Pierce would immediately provide Purdue with experience and senior leadership, as well as a player capable of scoring at multiple levels and one who rebounds at a high level. Those are all qualities that will fit in nicely in West Lafayette.
What Pierce brings to Purdue
At 6-foot-7, Pierce is a player who could slot into the three or four spot for Purdue next season. With Kaufman-Renn and Loyer both out of the rotation next season, it opens up plenty of minutes at those two positions.
Pierce would likely battle Benter, Burgess and Harris at those positions for playing time. He would be an asset at both spots.
Pierce is a player who can score from multiple levels and isn't afraid to take defenders off the dribble. He can finish at the rim and through contact. He's not the best three-point shooter, but it's still something he can do on occasion.
Additionally, Pierce's willingness to crash the glass is something Painter has put a heavy emphasis on over the years. He can hold his own on the glass and would provide the Boilers with another weapon in that department.
Caden Pierce highlights
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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