Penn State had to be busy in the transfer portal this offseason if they wanted to field a team for the upcoming season. It’s well documented that they were down the three scholarship players following the graduation of seniors and subsequent transfers after the head coaching change.
The biggest challenge for new head coach [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] was not only fielding a team, but bringing in enough talent to compete in his first season at the helm.
Not only was he able to do that, but he also brought over his best player from VCU and A-10 Conference Player of the Year, [autotag]Ace Baldwin[/autotag].
With transfer season all but officially wrapped up, 247Sports ranked their top 10 players entering the Big Ten from the transfer portal.
Here is the list.
- Ace Baldwin, Penn State
- Jamison Battle, Ohio State
- Ben Krikke, Iowa
- Olivier Nkamhoua, Michigan
- Mike Mitchell Jr., Minnesota
- Marcus Domask, Illinois
- AJ Storr, Wisconsin
- Rienk Mast, Nebraska
- Brice Williams, Nebraska
Former five-star players who find a new home will always get the headlines. That’s the case with Kel’el Ware who is leaving Oregon for Indiana. He was ranked as the number seven overall prospect in the class of 2022, but never reached his potential at Oregon. Expectations are high for Ware who has NBA potential.
Jamison Battle was already a Big Ten player at Minnesota last year, so him making the list is a little questionable. Every other player is coming from outside the conference. The majority of the list is coming from a mid-major conference. Only Ware, Battle and Olivier Nkamhoua are from Power 5 conferences, while AJ Storr comes from St. John’s in the Big East.
Out of this list, Baldwin is the most decorated player entering the Big Ten. He brings a high level of play that should translate to the conference immediately.
Baldwin will be the face of the rebuild and program that Rhoades is looking to build in State College.
Follow Brad Wakai on Twitter and TikTok
[lawrence-auto-related count=4 category=11]