Utah reportedly contacted Northwestern transfer Jayden Reid as portal interest builds

A couple days after Jayden Reid's portal intentions were made public, Utah was reportedly one of Power 5 schools that reached out to the former Northwestern guard.

According to a report from College Basketball Content, the Utes are among the teams that have been "in contact" with the 5-foot-10 New York native lately, along with Auburn, Texas A&M, Kansas State and Oregon, among others.

Reid, who will be entering his fourth year of college hoops following two seasons at South Florida and one at Northwestern, is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 34 point guard available on the open market. He's coming off a season in which he averaged 10.1 points, a team-high 5 assists and 1.4 rebounds while starting 28 of the 34 games he played in for the 15-19 Wildcats.

How Jayden Reid would fit with the Utes

Without a true floor general running point, Utah's offense became quite stagnant at times this past season. Terrence Brown and Don McHenry were two dynamic scorers, though neither really stood out with their passing skills. As such, the Utes averaged just 13.7 assists per game, which ranked No. 192 in the country, and came in at No. 86 nationally in adjusted offensive rating.

With Brown and McHenry on their way out of the door, guard depth is likely near the top of the offseason shopping list for Utah general manager Wes Wilcox. As such, it wouldn't come as a surprise if the Utes are truly interested in Reid, given the experience and playmaking he would bring to the table.

Reid, who's played in 98 career games since the start of his freshman season in 2023, can also uplift an offense with his scoring touch, and he doesn't shy away from stiff competition, either. In fact, his top four scoring outbursts in the 2025-26 season came against NCAA Tournament teams: Illinois (28 points), Virginia (25 points), Michigan (20 points) and Purdue (19 points). Additionally, he dolled out 20 total assists to six turnovers and shot 55.5% from the field against those four teams (Northwestern did, however, go 0-4 in those contests).

Utah fans might have some reservations about Reid's listed size (5-foot-10, 170 pounds) and how he would hold up against some of the giants in the Big 12. His apparent lack of stature didn't seem to hinder him in Big Ten play, though, considering he finished last season as one of just six players in the league to average 10 or more points and 5 or more assists.

If the Utes add more positional size at the "2" and "3" spots, Reid's height would be less of an issue on the defensive end of the floor.

Northwestern transfer Jayden Reid has been in contact with the following schools, source tells me.

Auburn
Memphis
Texas A&M
VCU
Kansas State
Oregon
Utah
UCF
Seton Hall

The 5-10 guard from Westbury, NY averaged 10.1 PPG and 5.0 APG. Started 28 games for the Wildcats. pic.twitter.com/dJl2XdPsNm
— College Basketball Content (@CBBcontent) April 8, 2026