The Richmond to Happy Valley pipeline has been opened.

After 10 days in the transfer portal, 2023 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Ace Baldwin committed to Penn State men’s basketball Sunday afternoon.

The 6’1″ point guard has two years of eligibility remaining after three seasons at VCU under Mike Rhoades.

A three-star prospect from Baltimore, Maryland, Baldwin committed to VCU in April 2019 over offers from Georgetown, Rutgers, Providence, and Maryland, among others. He was the seventh-best prospect in Maryland at the time and ranked No. 39 nationally in his position as a recruit.

Baldwin enrolled at VCU in 2020 and quickly made an impact on the hardwood. The freshman started all 26 games and averaged 4.4 assists per game, the most by a freshman in program history and the second all-time in a single season. Moreover, Baldwin led VCU and ranked second in the Atlantic 10 in steals, averaging 2.1 per game.

Carrying momentum from his rookie season, Baldwin dominated the Siegel Center on both ends of the court as a sophomore in 2021-22. In his second year, Baldwin ranked No. 3 in the country in steals per game, while maintaining 11.4 points and 5.5 assists per game.

This past season, as a junior, Baldwin tallied 381 points and averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.8 assists per game. In true Jalen Pickett fashion, Baldwin notched 37 points in VCU’s February 3 outing against Saint Louis. Baldwin was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year following his third campaign en route to a conference championship.

Baldwin’s transfer to Penn State comes after the departure of Micah Shrewsberry and the hiring of former VCU head coach Mikes Rhoades. Baldwin is Rhoades’ first transfer commitment since he secured the head coaching gig in Happy Valley on March 29.