The blows keep on coming for Mike Rhoades and Penn State men’s basketball, and this one is a big one.
Prized freshman point guard Kayden Mingo is reportedly the newest Nittany Lion to enter the transfer portal, per DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony.
Mingo was pegged by 247Sports as the highest-rated recruit in program history when he committed to Penn State in 2024. He had an excellent freshman campaign, averaging a team-second-best 13.7 points and a team-high 4.3 assists per game. The New York native is expected to be a top prospect in the portal as he was a top-40 recruit coming out of high school.
Penn State hoops is now nearly in free fall as its top two scorers from 2025-26, Mingo and Freddie Dilione V, are set to depart the program. Eli Rice, Mason Blackwood, and Melih Tunca have also entered the transfer portal, while Ivan Jurić is set to stay put in Happy Valley
While Mingo’s move isn’t a massive shock, it does erase a good bit of optimism (if there was any left) heading into the offseason. Penn State finished dead last in the Big Ten this season after winning just three conference games.
