Penn State season preview: nine newcomers after a 3-17 season

Where last season ended

Penn State finished 2025-26 at 12-20 overall and 3-17 in the Big Ten, last in the league, according to Sports-Reference. The Nittany Lions opened Big Ten play with 10 straight losses, according to On3, and lost 66-76 to Northwestern in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. They did not reach the NCAA Tournament. Mike Rhoades is in his fourth season as head coach.

Who is gone

Freddie Dilione V, a junior guard who averaged 14.0 points per game last season, according to On3, planned to enter the transfer portal. He is not on the 2026-27 roster. 247Sports reports other departures from the April portal window, but the sources checked do not give a complete list.

Who is back

Josh Reed, a graduate forward listed at 6-8, is the clearest carryover: the Big Ten named him a 2025-26 Penn State sportsmanship honoree. Thomas Allard, a graduate guard, Brant Byers, a redshirt junior guard and forward, and Jay Rodgers, a senior guard, are also on the roster. The sources checked do not state the 2025-26 minutes for these players.

Who is new

The 2026-27 roster lists Dasonte Bowen, a graduate guard from Iowa and St. Bonaventure, as a transfer.

The freshman class is listed below.

Incoming freshmen

Penn State lists three freshmen on the official roster and two more players with no class year. Grant Spacciapolli enters as a walk-on. The group adds size and depth after a 3-17 season.

• Andy Gemao, guard, Royal Crown School, Toronto, Ontario (hometown Iligan City, Philippines)
• Grant Spacciapolli, guard, 6-3, Pine-Richland High School, Pittsburgh, Pa. (walk-on)
• Aleksandar Zečević, forward, 6-9, Gimnazija Prokuplje, Prokuplje, Serbia
• Roko Prkačin, forward, 6-8, Nanterre 92, Zagreb, Croatia (no class year on the roster)
• François Wibaut, forward, 6-7, Pau-Lacq-Orthez, Berck, France (no class year on the roster)

The number to know

The number to know is scoring margin per game, which is points scored minus points allowed, averaged over games. In 2025-26, Penn State averaged 73.7 points and allowed 79.3, a margin of -5.6, according to Sports-Reference. The average covers all 32 games on the season record. It shows how much the Nittany Lions were outscored on average. It does not show pace, the quality of opponents, or how close the losses were, so it is a summary, not a diagnosis.

Questions for this season

Can Penn State stop opponents? Its 79.3 points allowed per game was the highest in the Sports-Reference Big Ten table, ahead of Maryland at 76.6. Defense is the first repair the roster needs.

Who replaces Dilione's scoring? He averaged 14.0 points per game, and the sources checked do not show a returning guard with a similar scoring average.

Does the rebuild add shooting? On3's season preview describes a roster aimed at more physicality and better shooting.

Our early read

Our tier is Rebuilding year (14th-18th). This is our opinion, not a sourced ranking. Penn State finished last in the Big Ten, allowed the most points in the conference, and lost a guard who averaged 14.0 points per game. The nine newcomers give the staff a fresh start, but the sources do not show enough proven production to project a climb. We project the Nittany Lions 18th.