Penn men’s basketball senior guard Ethan Roberts will transfer to Notre Dame for his final year of eligibility.
For the past two seasons, Roberts — who entered the transfer portal on March 24 — led the team in scoring, averaging more than 16 points per game. At the end of the 2025-26 regular season, he was named an All-Ivy honoree before suffering a concussion that kept him sidelined for during postseason play.
Roberts made the announcement via X Thursday, writing “GOD, COUNTRY, NOTRE DAME.”
Even in the ever-changing world of collegiate sports, the Ivy League has maintained its longstanding policy of prohibiting graduate students to participate in athletics, meaning Roberts is unable to utilize his final year of eligibility at Penn.
Roberts has been nothing short of impressive in his two seasons at Penn, leading the team in points per game for both seasons. This year, Roberts particularly shined during the non-conference schedule — dropping two 30-point performances in Big 5 pod play to lead Penn to the Big 5 Classic championship game. Those performances earned him a national mid-major player of the week award.
Against the Ancient Eight, Roberts had four over-20-point performances, including during the team’s Ivy League tournament clinching win against Harvard, which were crucial in Penn’s turnaround from seventh place in the conference to Ivy League tournament champion in one season.
“I’m forever a Quaker. I’m forever a Penn basketball player. It's been the pinnacle of my career thus far.” Roberts previously told The Daily Pennsylvanian.
His career was not without challenges. Last year, Roberts perservered through a shoulder injury during conference play. This season, he suffered two concussions — the second of which kept him out during Penn’s postseason play at Ivy Madness and NCAA tournament. His challenges speak to his perseverance and intense hard work that will serve him well at Notre Dame.
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Before Penn, Roberts began his collegiate career at Army, where he had a standout season ending with the Patriot League Rookie of the Year honor. After reportedly fielding offers from every Power conference, the Arlington Heights, Ill. native chose to transfer to Drake for his sophomore year but sat out the entire season due to a stomach illness, granting him another year of eligibility.
At the end of last season, Roberts’ notably decided to forgo the transfer portal and stay at Penn following the hiring of coach Fran McCaffery.
Notre Dame went 13-18 overall this past season, ranking 16th in the Atlantic Coast conference and missing the ACC tournament. After losing its top three scorers of guards Markus Burton, Jalen Haralson, and Cole Certa to the transfer portal, Ethan Roberts will be an effective offensive addition to the roster.
While Penn will lose Roberts, star junior forward TJ Power and junior guard/forward Michael Zanoni will return in the 2026-27 season. They will be joined by multiple historic recruits to aim to stay atop the Ancient Eight.
