Northwestern Football Transfer Portal Wishlist

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Northwestern signed quarterback Aidan Chiles on Tuesday night, but the ‘Cats still have litany of holes that they will be looking to the transfer portal to fill.

In last season’s transfer portal, coach Braun found his biggest contributors (outside of quarterback Preston Stone) from the FCS ranks, specifically South Dakota State. Griffin Wilde and Evan Beerntsen both had strong seasons as they played at the FBS level for the first time. Up to this point, Northwestern has been connected primarily to transfers from the FCS, though Braun’s two biggest additions — Michigan State’s Aidan Chiles and Oklahoma’s Kobie McKinzie — both came from Power Four programs.

Here are the transfer prospects that Northwestern should try to bring to Evanston in the transfer portal this year.

Offense

Yale WR Nico Brown

Despite spending four years at Yale, Brown appeared in just four games across his first three seasons, which amounted to no counting stats. He did also miss an entire season due to an injury in 2023. In his fourth year with the Bulldogs, Brown had a breakout campaign. He caught 71 passes for 1,085 yards and 11 touchdowns, all of which led his team. His 1,085 receiving yards was the third-most in single-season history for a Yale receiver. He also led the FCS with 108.5 receiving yards per game this season. Brown was named to the All-Ivy First Team and was selected to AFCA’s FCS All-American First Team. He has a visit set up on Jan. 7 to come to Evanston before heading to UCLA. Brown also has a visit scheduled with Michigan State.

Kent State WR Cade Wolford

This one is more of a long shot. While Wolford has three visits scheduled already (Oklahoma State, UCF, Cincinnati) and an offer from Iowa, the proximity to his hometown of Jackson, Ohio from Evanston is closer than Oklahoma State, UCF and Iowa. He was an All-MAC Third Team selection this past season with the Golden Flashes, finishing with just 19 receptions but totaling 509 yards and seven receiving touchdowns. He also turned 12 carries into 96 rushing yards and a score on the ground. While it doesn’t seem like NU is going after him right at this moment, it would be a nice addition for the ‘Cats with his deep-threat capabilities.

Ohio State TE Jelani Thurman

Putting Thurman on this list is because of Chip Kelly. For the 2024 National Championship Buckeyes team, Thurman played in all 16 games. This past season, he caught just seven passes for 84 yards and a touchdown, but he still has three years of eligibility remaining. Kelly was the offensive coordinator for OSU when it won it all, so it’s not crazy to think he could bring someone like Thurman to Evanston for the future.

Oklahoma State OT Grant Seagren

Seagren visited Northwestern on Jan. 5-6 as new offensive line coach Tim Drevno looks to revamp the Wildcats’ with four of fie 2025 starters graduating. As it stands now, Ezomo Oratokhai is the only returning starting offensive linemen from Northwestern’s 2025 squad, so landing Seagren would be huge. He spent his first two seasons at Nebraska where he played in seven games his freshman season before redshirting his second year. Seagren then transferred to Oklahoma State, where he was the Cowboys’ second-highest graded offensive lineman in 2025 per PFF. He also is set to visit Auburn and Arkansas, in addition to his current school Oklahoma State, who recently hired head coach Eric Morris from North Texas. Landing an experienced right tackle who has played in the Power Four would be huge for this offensive line, even if it seems like he might be going to Auburn.

Duquesne OL Brian Beidatsch Jr.

Coming from the FCS ranks, Beidatsch allowed just one sack across his 34 games played at Duquesne. He was named to the All-NEC First Team in both 2024 and 2025 with his stellar play in the trenches. He’s set to visit Northwestern this week, specifically on Jan. 7-8. Beidatsch’s versatility on the offensive line is a huge plus as he started games at both left tackle and right guard in 2024. With around 1,200 career snaps under his belt, this possible addition could be similar to what the ‘Cats got in Evan Beerntsen last year in the portal.

Defense

Harvard EDGE Alex DeGrieck

DeGrieck was named to the All-Ivy League First Team in 2025 after a six-sack season with the Crimson. Each season at Harvard, DeGrieck has gotten better and better. With departures on the defensive line for the ‘Cats including its top edge rushers in Aidan Hubbard and Anto Saka, getting a guy like DeGrieck is a step in the right direction. He is set to visit Evanston set on Jan. 7

Iowa DL Brian Allen

Across his three seasons and 28 games played with the Hawkeyes, Allen recorded 34 tackles, five tackles-for-loss (TFLs) and 3.5 sacks.While he doesn’t have a visit to Northwestern set yet, Allen could be a good target as a veteran with Big Ten experience. In the clip below, watch how Allen (No. 90) helps to open the hole for his teammate to deliver the hit on Diego Pavia.

Cornell LB Keith Williams Jr.

Williams is the third Ivy League player on this list. A hot commodity with two years of eligibility remaining, he has garnered interest thus from both NU and Minnesota. In 2025, the sophomore recorded 64 total tackles, 0.5 sacks, four TFLs and three interceptions. His interceptions total led his team, and he finished just one behind the interception leader in the Ivy League. He will be in Evanston on Jan. 6-7 as the ‘Cats look to secure an athletic linebacker to help with Mac Uihlein now graduating.

Minnesota S Koi Perich

This is by far the biggest wish on the wish list. Perich is one of the most highly-touted players in the transfer portal this season. In his true freshman season, Perich was named to the 2024 All-B1G First Team, followed by an All-B1G Third Team selection in 2025. Back when he originally committed to Minnesota, he was expected to go to Ohio State. While the Buckeyes are more than likely going to be in the mix for Perich, especially with Caleb Downs almost certainly entering the NFL Draft, it may be hard to bring him to Evanston. Nonetheless, this is a wish list, and there’s always a chance.

Special Teams

Bowling Green K/P Jackson Kleather

With Jack Olsen in the transfer portal, kicker is now something the ‘Cats could for sure be looking to get from another school. Kleather was rock-solid for Bowling Green last season, making 19 of his 22 field goal attempts with a 56 yarder being his longest. With his visit on Jan 5, there could be a new man swinging his leg for NU with distance being a huge part of his game.

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