Penn State's Best Young Basketball Player Will Enter the Transfer Portal

Penn State men's basketball got the news Wednesday it had hoped to avoid. Freshman guard Kayden Mingo, the cornerstone of the Nittany Lions' basketball future, will enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, according to Draft Express. Mingo's agent informed Jonathan Givony, who operates Draft Express, of the news.

Mingo, who was named a team captain as a freshman, started 28 games for the Nittany Lions, averaging 13.7 points, 4.3 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game. After the Big Ten Tournament in March, Mingo sounded like a player who intended to return to Penn State for his sophomore season. The Nittany Lions went 12-20 last season.

"I'm very grateful and very blessed for the whole season," Mingo said after the Nittany Lions lost to Northwestern. "I feel like God put me in a very good position with a lot of good people around me. Going into next season, I'm really looking forward to fixing things that I could do better to help the team win. Be back here and win more games. That's the most important thing. Winning more games."

NEWS: Penn State freshman Kayden Mingo will enter the transfer portal, his agency Excel Sports tells DraftExpress.

Mingo started every game in the Big Ten, averaging 13.7 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.1 steals. Will be a top PG target nationally. pic.twitter.com/aNJwgBU265
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 8, 2026

The 2025 New York Gatorade Player at Long Island Lutheran, Mingo was the highest-rated recruit ever to commit to Penn State. ESPN ranked him as the No. 39 player in the 2025 recruiting class, and Mingo chose Penn State and head coach Mike Rhoades.

Mingo's 2024 commitment, which he announced on The Breakfast Club radio show in New York, lifted Penn State basketball into the spotlight and elevated Rhoades' recruiting platform after two seasons. Rhoades also quickly gave Mingo the keys to the program, starting him at point guard in the season-opener.

“When he got here, he just took off and not just his work ethic in the gym and in the weight room, but the type of teammate he wanted to be,” Rhoades said in December. “He’s a guy that’s going to have the ball in his hands.”

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Mike Rhoades talks with guard Kayden Mingo (4) during the first half against Minnesota, — Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Mike Rhoades talks with guard Kayden Mingo (4) during the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Bryce Jordan Center. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Mingo missed three games in early January after sustaining a broken nose in practice. He returned to score 19 points in a Jan. 18 loss to Maryland. Mingo averaged a team-high 32 minutes per game and shot 47.7 percent from the field.

Mingo became the fifth Penn State basketball player to enter the portal. The Nittany Lions likely will lose their top two scorers, as Freddie Dilione V (14 ppg) has entered the portal as well. Melih Tunca, who played in 31 games, Eli Rice (29 games) and Mason Blackwood (26 games) have entered the portal as well.

Meanwhile, Rhoades has returned to Europe to recruit, receiving commitments from two players in the French professional leagues. Roko Prkačin, 23, from Croatia, most recently played professionally in France. Francois Wibaut, 21, has played for multiple French professional teams.

Penn State went 12-20 in its third season under Rhoades, the program's first 20-loss season since 2013. The Nittany Lions finished last in the Big Ten in scoring defense (79.3 ppg allowed) and wins (3-17). Penn State had eight freshmen, including Mingo, on its roster.

"It was a really hard year for me," Rhoades said. "It was really hard. The world we live in now, you want to give yourself a chance. You want to give your team a chance to be successful. So it's hard. The reality, is when you're really young in Power 4 basketball, you're at a disadvantage. So we need to address that."

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