Grad transfer Blake Preston announced his commitment to Northwestern on Sunday, the first transfer portal addition for head coach Chris Collins and his staff after a landmark season.

Preston, a 6-foot-9, 220-pound forward, started 22 games for Liberty last season, averaging 6.7 points and 5.1 rebounds in 17.3 minutes per game. Preston had a quiet first season for the Flames in 2019-20, then appeared in 95 games over the next three seasons, including 51 starts.

Northwestern made its second appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season, and Preston will bring his own Big Dance experience to Evanston. When Liberty made the tournament in 2021, Preston logged 11 points, seven rebounds, two steals and a block in a 69-60 loss to Oklahoma State and overall No. 1 NBA Draft pick Cade Cunningham.

The Wildcats needed to shore up their frontcourt after senior forward Robbie Beran entered the transfer portal and senior center Tydus Verhoeven graduated.

Preston's stat line and highlights suggest he may fill in for Verhoeven as a backup power forward or center more so than Beran, who started at as a starting stretch-4 over the last four years for the Wildcats. Preston is a similar build to Verhoeven, just five pounds lighter, and has comparable experience and skills.

Preston struggles at the free-throw line but is incredibly efficient from the floor. He may not be as formidable defensively as Verhoeven, but he brings more on the offensive end, where he showed potential as a lob threat and finisher at Liberty and could bring another dimension to Northwestern's offense next season.

Preston's ability to elevate and finish through contact, combined with 7-foot center Matt Nicholson's size and strength as the starting center, means the Wildcats could have a viable alley-oop and pick-and-roll threat on the floor at all times next season.

Nicholson will likely have an expanded role after his stellar junior campaign and another year of offseason development. Look for Preston to slot into Verhoeven's role as a player that can spell Nicholson if he gets fatigued or in foul trouble.