Jordan Derkack commits to Dayton after one season at Rutgers

Jordan Derkack, a 6-foot-5 guard who played last season at Rutgers after two seasons at Merrimack, committed to the Dayton Flyers on Tuesday.

Derkack made his decision two days after Georgia transfer De’Shayne Montgomery, another 6-5 guard, picked Dayton. They join incoming freshmen Damon Friery and Jaron McKie on the list of newcomers on Dayton’s 2025-26 roster.

Derkack averaged 5.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 31 games last season for Rutgers. He averaged 17.0 minutes per game and started 10 games. He played 20 or more minutes 10 times in the first 11 games but only three times the rest of the season. With one exception, he played single-digit minutes in the last eight games of the season.

Playing at Rutgers, he was 20 miles from home.

“Jordan grew up in New Jersey and has strong ties to our program,” Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell said in a story on the school website. “He brings the ability to finish around the basket and play outstanding defense. Jordan has elite size for a ballhandler and can do some special things on the defensive side of the ball.”

In the same Rutgers story, Derkack talked about his game.

“I do a little bit of everything,” he said. “I love to get downhill. On the defensive side, I’m a crazy person. I’m guarding the best player and that’s what I’m looking to do. I’m looking to bring energy to this team, and bring some leadership both vocally and by example.”

Derkack started his college career at Merrimack. As a sophomore, he averaged 17.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists. He was named the Northeast Conference Player of the Year and the Defensive Player of the Year.

As a freshman at Merrimack in the 2022-23 season, Derkack averaged 7.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 34 games. He was a teammate then with Javon Bennett, who transferred to Dayton after that season season. Bennett and Derkack started their college careers together as freshmen and now will finish their careers together at Dayton in the 2025-26 season.

Derkack is from Colonia, N.J. He averaged 13.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 2.0 steals as a senior at Colonia High School. He then spent a post-graduate year at Spire Academy in Geneva, Ohio. According to a 2024 Boston Globe story, Derkack didn’t have any scholarship offers when he was a senior in high school but grew five inches during his post-graduate year and received offers from Merrimack, Marist and Saint Francis.

With Hamad Mousa entering the transfer portal on Saturday and Montgomery and Derkack announcing their commitments, Dayton has seven spots open on the 2025-26 roster.

Dayton’s 2025-26 roster looks like this if no more players leave.

Seniors: Bennett; Derkack; and Jacob Conner.

Junior: Montgomery.

Redshirt sophomores: Jaiun Simon.

Sophomores: Amaël L’Etang.

Freshmen: Damon Friery; and Jaron McKie.

Derkack is the 18th Division I transfer who has entered the program since Anthony Grant took over the program in 2017. Here’s the list of the other transfers:

• De’Shayne Montgomery, Georgia: April 13, 2025.

• Posh Alexander, Butler: May 3, 2024

• Jacob Conner, Marshall: April 27, 2024.

• Zed Key, Ohio State, April 17: 2024.

• Enoch Cheeks, Robert Morris: March 30, 2023.

• Nate Santos, Pittsburgh: June 13, 2023.

• Isaac Jack, Buffalo: April 24, 2023

• Javon Bennett, Merrimack: April 10, 2023.

• Tyrone Baker, Georgia: April 26, 2022.

• Kobe Elvis, DePaul: May 14, 2021.

• Richard Amaefule, East Tennessee State: April 12, 2021.

• Toumani Camara, Georgia: April 8, 2021.