Nathan Baird, Indianapolis StarFri, November 28, 2025 at 4:15 PM UTC·1 min readWEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue men's basketball is hosting a potentially major 2026 addition for a visit this weekend.
Caden Pierce, a graduate transfer forward from Princeton, is on campus for Friday's game against Eastern Illinois and the Old Oaken Bucket weekend. Pierce sat out this season to utilize one final year of eligibility through the transfer portal.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe 6-7, 220-pound Gen Ellyn, Illinois, native is the brother of Colts receiver Alec Pierce. Caden was also the Ivy League Player of the Year in 2023-24, when he averaged 16.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists. Last season he averaged 11.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists. He's a 32.7% 3-point shooter over 275 attempts.
Pierce entered the transfer portal this fall, giving him ample time to explore options in comparison to the hurried timeline of the spring portal. He visited Grand Canyon last week and is reportedly scheduled to visit Duke, UConn, Louisville and Gonzaga.
Purdue has long targeted a short-term high-upside transfer portal addition as a frontcourt replacement with Trey Kaufman-Renn, Oscar Cluff and Liam Murphy all leaving the program after this season.
La Lumiere's Rivers Knight has already signed with the incoming freshman class. Raleigh Burgess is using a redshirt in his second season. However, Pierce would provide an experienced, proven talent on a roster which will lose three four-year starters after this season.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNathan Baird and Sam King have the best Purdue sports coverage, and sign up for IndyStar's Boilermakers newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Caden Pierce visits Purdue basketball, transfer portal recruiting, stats
AdvertisementAdvertisement
