Penn State men’s basketball coach Mike Rhoades. Photo by Mikey DeAngelis | Onward State
Penn State men’s basketball has made a splash on the recruiting front. The Nittany Lions earned a commitment on Wednesday from four-star small forward Mason Blackwood, who became the second member of the team’s 2025 recruiting class.
Blackwood’s commitment — a decision made over Big Ten rival Rutgers — is a major win for second-year head coach Mike Rhoades. The 6-foot-7, 210-pound Blackwood, who attends New Hampshire’s New Hampton School, ranks as the No. 35 small forward in the country and No. 151 overall prospect by 247Sports.
Blackwood is one of the highest-rated recruits to commit to Penn State in program history, and Rhoades’ third four-star in just two years on the job.
He joins three-star center Justin Houser, who attends The Phelps Schoo in Malvernl, as part of the Nittany Lions’ 2025 class.
Rhoades flashed recruiting prowess in the previous cycle, and doesn’t appear to be losing speed. Blackwood’s commitment comes after Rhoades introduced a five-man class in 2024 that ranked No. 28 nationally and was headlined by two four-stars, center Miles Goodwin and small forward Hudson Ward.
Along with his high-profile recruiting class, Rhoades also added four transfers this offseason: former Tennessee guard Freddie Dilione V, former Xavier center Kachi Nzeh, former Nebraska forward Eli Rice and former Northern Illinois center Yanic Niederhauser.
Penn State will return much of its corps from Rhoades’ debut season, a year in which the team finished with a 16-17 record.
This year’s squad is once again set to be headlined by Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Ace Baldwin Jr., as well as returning contributors D’Marco Dunn, Nick Kern Jr., Zach Hicks and Puff Johnson.
