Because it’s football season, naturally a lot of the attention is on Penn State’s football program and what is taking place on the field. That trickles down to the recruiting trail as well, especially with the Nittany Lions looking to secure another top class in the 2025 cycle.
But with the calendar getting further and further into fall, that also means basketball is about to start up.
There are some more expectations centered around this program and what can be accomplished in Year 2 of the [autotag]Mike Rhoades[/autotag] era after going 16-17 overall, but did win nine games in Big 10 play that gives some confidence he can have this team competing at some point during his tenure.
To do that, he and his staff will have to start recruiting at a high level, getting talented prospects into this program who fit the system he wants to run. Rhoades was able to do that at VCU, giving hope the same can happen in State College.
So far, Penn State was able to get one player in the 2025 class, landing three-star 6-foot-11 in-state center Justin Houser. While that is a solid get for Penn State, they were still searching for a star-caliber player who could potentially be the headliner of this cycle.
Well, they got that by the way of [autotag]Mason Blackwood[/autotag].
https://www.instagram.com/mason.blackwood24/p/DAEuN45v75b/
The 6-foot-7 wing is a rated as a four-star by 247Sports, listing him 102nd-best player in the class and the No. 4 overall player in the state of New Hampshire.
Penn State was able to earn this commitment over Rutgers, a program who was red-hot on the recruiting trail in the 2024 cycle when they put together a consensus to 10 class by landing the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked players in the class, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper.
For the Rhoades and his staff to win this one is a huge sign.
“I chose Penn State because of the genuine love the coaches showed at Penn State to me and my family. I loved the opportunity they presented to me, and the goals they had laid out for me and I felt like I resented with them extremely well and it was a great fit,” Blackwood said per On3.
What comes next for the Nittany Lions will be seen, but they are reportedly targeting specific players they are giving the majority of their attention to so they can land a very solid group in this cycle.