Penn State addresses experience gap with addition of Jay Rodgers

Penn State men’s basketball head coach Mike Rhoades set the parameters for his program’s offseason. Coming off a disappointing 2025-26 campaign, the Nittany Lions would need to change the size and shape of their roster to reverse course in the year ahead.

“The reality is when you’re really young in Power Four basketball, you’re at a disadvantage,” he said, acknowledging his group’s status as one of the least experienced in the sport this season. “So we need to address that. We need to get our young guys bigger, better, badder, and stronger.”

Sunday afternoon, the Nittany Lions made another move in that direction.

One week after welcoming the additions of Roko Prkačin and François Wibaut out of the international market, Penn State has landed its first transfer. Jay Rodgers, a 24-year-old point guard from Central Connecticut State University, announced he’ll play his final season of college basketball with the Nittany Lions in a social media post.

Listed at 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, Rodgers played in 30 games this past season, averaging 11.0 points over 29.2 minutes per game. He shot a career-best 42.6 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from beyond the arc, while leading the Blue Devils with 6.9 assists per game against 2.7 turnovers.

Originally from Pickerington, Ohio, Rodgers’ college career has included multiple stops. He began at the University of New Orleans before spending time at Cochise College, where he earned first-team All-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference honors.

Returning to the Division I ranks with his transfer to Central Connecticut State ahead of the 2022-23 season, he averaged 9.1 points per game. However, a season-ending injury early in the 2023-24 campaign not only derailed that year, but also kept him sidelined for the entirety of the 2024-25 season.

Now set to finish his college career with the Nittany Lions, Rodgers brings a quality Rhoades has emphasized as essential to competing in the Big Ten.

“That’s it. You’ve got to be old. You’ve got to be old because everybody else is,” Rhoades said. “The best teams in our league and the best teams in the country are old and experienced. We’ve got to address some of that.”

Where things stand for Penn State

Guards Jay Rodgers, Reggie Grodin
Wings Roko Prkačin, François Wibaut, Chris Lotito
Bigs Ivan Juric, Sasa Ciani, Tibor Mirtic

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