Penn State basketball and head coach Mike Rhoades secured a historic recruiting victory on Friday. Kayden Mingo, ESPN's 44th-ranked player in the Class of 2025, announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions on The Breakfast Club.
Mingo becomes the program's highest-ranked recruit during the modern recruiting era.
“I chose Penn State because I felt like this was the best place for me to thrive and reach my goals,” he told On3. “Penn State felt like home. Coach Rhoades and the staff were very consistent with me and took time to get to know me. They were always calling and checking in even if it wasn’t about basketball and they were very active when it came to me.”
Mingo left a message for Penn State fans, “Happy Valley! Let’s do it!!!”
Penn State lands highest-ranked prospect in program history
Mingo is a 6-foot-1 senior point guard out of Long Island Lutheran in Brookville, New York. He had 12 offers, committing to Penn State over Wake Forest, Georgia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Xavier and California, amongst others, according to 247 Sports.
Long Island Lutheran has grown a reputation for developing highly-touted prospects as one of the nation's top high school programs. Mingo shared the floor with VJ Edgecombe last season, a projected top-five pick in this year's NBA draft who now plays at Baylor. The team also featured Kiyan Anthony, the 28th-ranked player in the 2025 class and son of Carmelo Anthony, and several other Division 1 recruits.
Given his team's stockpile of talent, Mingo has played on and off the ball throughout high school. He pointed to that versatility as a defining characteristic of his skillset.
“I describe my game as a winner. A point guard who can do a little bit of everything in different ways,” he said. “I can score, pass, rebound and defend. Whatever a team needs, I feel I can do.”
Penn State has the 12th-ranked recruiting class in the Class of 2025, according to 247 Sports. The Nittany Lions have also secured commitments from 6-foot-7 small forward Mason Blackwood, the class' 102nd-ranked player, and 6-foot-11 center Justin Houser, the 221st-ranked player.
Penn State basketball is attempting to turn a corner under its newly hired head coach. The Nittany Lions finished with a 16-17 record last season, their first under Rhoades. They are projected to finish 17th out of 18 teams in the Big 10 this year, according to the annual media poll conducted by The Columbus Dispatch and Indianapolis Star.
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