Friday brought good news for Purdue basketball as it reloads its roster for the 2026-27 season.
Princeton transfer Caden Pierce announced his commitment to the Boilermakers. Pierce, a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility, sat out this season in order to use his final year elsewhere. Pierce visited UConn, Louisville, Duke and Gonzaga.
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But Pierce, the brother of Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce, opted to spend it in West Lafayette. He visited Nov. 28 for the Boilers’ win over Eastern Illinois and the Old Oaken Bucket game that night.
The 6-foot-7 forward from Glen Ellyn, Illinois, was the Ivy League’s 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.
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Purdue basketball vs. Nebraska in Big Ten basketball action
Feb 10, 2026; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) gets a rebound against Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Berke Buyuktuncel (9) during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
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Purdue basketball vs. Nebraska in Big Ten basketball action
Feb 10, 2026; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) gets a rebound against Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Berke Buyuktuncel (9) during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
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Purdue basketball vs. Nebraska in Big Ten basketball action
Feb 10, 2026; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) reacts after falling during the first half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
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Purdue basketball vs. Nebraska in Big Ten basketball action
Feb 10, 2026; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Purdue Boilermakers center Oscar Cluff (45) shoots the ball against Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Berke Buyuktuncel (9) and forward Pryce Sandfort (21) during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
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Purdue basketball vs. Nebraska in Big Ten basketball action
Feb 10, 2026; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Pryce Sandfort (21) reaches for the ball against Purdue Boilermakers guard C.J. Cox (0) during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
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Purdue basketball vs. Nebraska in Big Ten basketball action
Feb 10, 2026; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Purdue Boilermakers center Oscar Cluff (45) and Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Rienk Mast (51) tip off to start the game at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
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Purdue basketball vs. Nebraska in Big Ten basketball action
Feb 10, 2026; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer (2) reacts after a three-point shot against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
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Purdue basketball vs. Nebraska in Big Ten basketball action
Feb 10, 2026; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Sam Hoiberg (1) drives against Purdue Boilermakers guard Fletcher Loyer (2) during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
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Purdue basketball vs. Nebraska in Big Ten basketball action
Feb 10, 2026; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) gets a rebound against Nebraska Cornhuskers forward Berke Buyuktuncel (9) during the first half at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
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.
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Caden Pierce stats
Caden Pierce played three seasons at Princeton, starting 89 of 90 games he played in. He led the Ivy League in field goal percentage (54.6%) and effective field goal percentage (58.7%) during his player-of-the-year season ins 2023-24. Here’s a year-by-year breakdown of his stats:
2022-23 (32 games): 8.2 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.2 apg, 29.9 mpg; .426/.325/.650
2023-24 (29 games): 16.6 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 3.2 apg, 32.8 mpg; .546/.342/.767
2024-25 (29 games): 11.2 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 3.2 apg, 32.5 mpg; .465/.316/.653
Who is Caden Pierce’s brother? Is Caden Pierce related to Colts receiver Alec Pierce?
Yes, Caden Pierce is the brother of Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce.
Caden Pierce highlights
Nathan Baird and Sam King have the best Purdue sports coverage, and sign up for IndyStar’s Boilermakers newsletter.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Caden Pierce Purdue basketball transfer commit, roster, stats, highlights