Penn State men’s basketball is already losing five seniors who were out of eligibility. And now, the Nittany Lions will be tasked with filling another vacancy with guard Jahvin Carter set to enter the transfer portal, coach Mike Rhoades confirmed on Wednesday. Recruits Zone’s Blake Smith was the first to report the news.
A former three-star recruit from Tennessee, Carter averaged 2.1 points across 26 games as a freshman this past season. He scored a season-high 12 points in a 103-54 win over UMBC on Nov. 8, but failed to reach a double-digit scoring tally in any game over the remainder of the season.
“I’ve got nothing but glowing respect for Jahvin, and I appreciate everything he did for this year,” Rhoades said. “Yeah, it’s gonna happen and this is the landscape we’re in. For us, that’s something that we have to go recruit this spring and make sure we have enough handlers in our program and guards and all that. So, we’ll do that.”
Carter will become the fourth guard to depart Rhoades’ program this offseason, joining two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Ace Baldwin Jr., Nick Kern Jr. and D’Marco Dunn. Returning starter Freddie Dilione V, first-year Dominick Stewart and incoming four-star freshman Kayden Mingo are currently the only guards on the projected 2025-26 roster.
With five seniors departing, three freshmen incoming and Carter entering the transfer portal, Penn State will be tasked with adding at least four players via either the transfer portal or international market ahead of next season.
Rhoades compiled a 16-15 record in his second season with the Nittany Lions, who opted out of the postseason after not qualifying for the Big Ten Tournament. Rhoades has a 32-32 record since becoming Penn State’s head coach following the 2022-23 season, the last year the Nittany Lions qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
More Penn State Basketball
View all Penn State Basketball
Column: The Penn State Men’s Basketball Paradox
Penn State has always been and likely will always be a sports school, first and foremost. With 85 team national championships, 335 conference championships (regular season plus tournament), a historic […]
Why Transfer Brant Byers Chose Mike Rhoades and Penn State
As Brant Byers drives through campus passing the landmarks of Penn State, it provides a sense of familiarity. The Chambersburg native grew up as a fan of the program, attending […]
‘Totally Different.’ How Mike Rhoades Is Fighting Big Ten NIL Giants on a Budget
It’s not often Penn State finds itself at the bottom of the Big Ten in any metric, but the men’s basketball program has been the conference basement dweller as of […]
