Update, April 4:

Njie confirmed his entrance into the portal Tuesday morning on Instagram.

“…I want to thank my Penn State basketball family,” Njie said. “Through the ups and downs in my first year, they have been with me through all of it and believed in me every step of the way. I have learned so many things from my coaching staff and teammates this year that have helped me grow into who I am today. Thank you to the Penn State community who has made my first year a great one. I appreciate all the love that I received and I will never take it for granted.”

“With that being said, after talking with my family, I have decided to enter the transfer portal to explore all of my options,” Njie said.

Original Story:

Penn State men’s basketball center Kebba Njie reportedly entered the transfer portal Monday afternoon, according to Verbal Commits.

Njie, a 6’10” freshman, is the fifth Nittany Lion to reportedly announce their entrance into the transfer portal, and the third from the Class of 2022.

A four-star prospect in the Class of 2022, Njie remains the third-highest-rated recruit in Penn State hoops program history behind Tony Carr and Lamar Stevens. Njie was the fourth-ranked recruit out of the state of Indiana and the No. 21-ranked center in the country. He received offers from Penn State, Butler, and Kansas State, and chose the Nittany Lions in September 2021.

Njie highlighted former Penn State head coach Micah Shrewsberry’s second recruiting class and the highest-ranked group of commits since the program’s inception.

With lofty expectations on his back, the freshman struggled to find a rhythm in the opening half of the season. Inexperience in the Big Ten conference plagued the designated big man, but Njie ultimately fell into place and was a pivotal piece in the starting lineup during Penn State’s end-of-season run.

Njie started 26 games out of 37 appearances and averaged 14.3 minutes per game. The college ball rookie posted 127 points throughout the season at a 3.4 point-per-game clip. Njie collected an average of 3.5 rebounds per game and maxed out at nine rebounds in the Nittany Lions’ March 11 date with then-No. 19 Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament.

Njie reportedly joins freshmen Jameel Brown and Evan Mahaffey in the transfer portal, as well as rising seniors Dallion Johnson and Caleb Dorsey. Class of 2023 signees Carey Booth, Logan Imes, and Braeden Shrewsberry each requested release from their letters of intent, too.

The mass exodus of Nittany Lion basketball players comes after the departure of Shrewsberry to Notre Dame and Penn State’s subsequent hiring of former VCU head coach Mike Rhoades.