Notre Dame men's basketball has secured a major offensive weapon for its 2025-26 roster, landing a commitment from Penn transfer Ethan Roberts. The 6-foot-5 forward, a proven sharpshooter, is poised to provide an immediate scoring punch for a Fighting Irish team in serious need of one.
Roberts is coming off a standout junior season where he led the Quakers with 16.9 points per game and earned All-Ivy League Second-Team honors. His most impressive stat? A blistering 40.4% shooting from three-point range, a skill that will be invaluable in stretching Big Ten defenses.
His arrival in South Bend is perfectly timed. Notre Dame is facing a significant roster overhaul, having seen its top three scorers—Markus Burton, Jalen Haralson, and Cole Certa—all enter the transfer portal this offseason. Roberts' proven ability to create and make shots will be central to Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry's plans to rebuild the offense.
The key for Roberts will be health. His career, which includes previous stops at Army and Drake, has been hampered by injuries, including a concussion that sidelined him for Penn's postseason this year. When on the court, however, he has consistently been a high-level producer, dating back to his Patriot League Rookie of the Year campaign at Army.
As the first major portal addition for Notre Dame this cycle, Roberts represents a crucial first step. He brings a veteran presence and a coveted, elite shooting skill set to a program looking to make a statement in Shrewsberry's pivotal fourth season. Irish fans now have a new name to watch—and a new jersey to potentially rock—as the team retools for the challenges ahead.
