Former Xavier center Kachi Nzeh will transfer to Penn State men’s basketball, he announced Saturday. Nzeh was the first commitment for the Nittany Lions out of the transfer portal.

A native of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, Nzeh spent one year at Xavier before entering the transfer portal. A three-star recruit out of high school, Nzeh played in 19 games, starting four times. Across 188 minutes, Nzeh recorded 47 points, 47 rebounds, and seven blocks.

Nzeh’s commitment fills an important gap in the Nittany Lions’ roster after Penn State lost several of its bigs to the transfer portal and eligibility. With the departures of Qudus Wahab and Favour Aire, head coach Mike Rhoades needed to add height and size to his roster ahead of the 2024-25 season.

After Nzeh’s commitment and Puff Johnson’s announcement that he’ll return to Penn State next year, Rhoades will have at least eight scholarship players on his roster next season. The Nittany Lions are still awaiting the decision of senior guard Ace Baldwin Jr. as Rhoades tries to use the transfer portal to fill out his roster.