Notre Dame basketball adds scoring wing from Penn via transfer portal

Notre Dame nabs its second commit from the transfer portal on Thursday afternoon.

Ethan Roberts, a 6-foot, 5-inch wing with polished scoring skills is heading to Notre Dame as a graduate transfer. Roberts spent the 2025-26 season at Penn, where he led the Quakers in scoring at 16.9 points-per-game and shot 40.3% from three which led to an appearance on the All-Ivy second-team honors.

Roberts is a versatile, multi-level scorer who can manufacture offense off the dribble. His skills include pull-up shots, and catch-and-shoot threes at a high rate. At Penn, Roberts was responsible for for a big part of the offensive load and he delivered several outings scoring more than 20-points. Defensively, Ethan brings effort and good size which can aid him in guarding both guards or forwards in the ACC.

Roberts began his college career at Army, where he played 33 games as a freshman and averaged over 12-points per game and earned the Patriot League Rookie of the Year. He then transferred to Drake but then had to sit out an entire season due to a gastrointestinal illness, which preserved his eligibility. He then moved on to Penn where he led his team in scoring both seasons and helped the team record improve from 8-19 to 18-12 in his second year. The Quakers, under former Iowa coach Fran Mcaffrey, won the Ivy League title, but Roberts was unable to participate in the postseason due to injury.

Roberts fit with Notre Dame makes sense. With Micah Shrewsberry under fire to replace a lot of talent that has left this offseason, Roberts is a proven, veteran presence on the court who can help raise the floor of next year's basketball team. His all-around offensive skill and solid size to defend wings will enable him to see substantial minutes in the rotation next season.