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Penn State forward Hudson Ward intends to transfer

nate-mug-10.12.14by:Nate Bauer•03/23/25•

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Penn State forward Hudson Ward will enter his name into the NCAA Transfer Portal. (Nate Bauer/BWI)

The Penn State men’s basketball program will see a second transfer out when the NCAA portal opens on Monday. Blue White Illustrated has confirmed multiple reports that Hudson Ward, a rising redshirt freshman forward out of Alberta, Canada, intends to enter the portal this week.

A three-star forward who flew somewhat under the radar during his high school recruiting process, Ward stood out enough to earn a late offer from Penn State during the 2023-24 season and made his commitment in January 2024.

“We recruited some guys like Hudson, through the course of their senior year, they’re playing really good competition, and they got a little bit stronger that summer, and they grew an inch or two. The switch is flipped and something good happens,” said head coach Mike Rhoades. “We’re always looking. I never care about what somebody’s ranking is or how many stars they have. If they fit our our values and they could help us win, they want development and growth, those are guys sometimes you get and people say, man, we should have looked at him. We should have recruited them. We have a few of those stories.”

Ward played in eight games with the Nittany Lions during his debut season. He tallied just 21 minutes combined over a majority of nonconference games, finishing with 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block. His two field goal attempts, including a 3-pointer, didn’t connect.

Ward’s exit marks the second for Penn State this offseason cycle, with point guard Jahvin Carter confirmed as leaving last Wednesday. Two of the Nittany Lions’ four true freshmen in the Class of 2024, forward Miles Goodman and guard Dominick Stewart have not yet indicated their intentions for next season.

Next steps for Penn State

Penn State now has at least three scholarship positions to fill on its roster for the 2025-26 season. With a three-man Class of 2025 arriving in Justin Houser, Mason Blackwood, and Kayden Mingo, along with a five-man exit for the Nittany Lions’ senior class including Ace Baldwin, D’Marco Dunn, Zach Hicks, Nick Kern, and Puff Johnson, head coach Mike Rhoades said there are holes to now fill when meeting with reporters on Wednesday last week.

“That’s something we got to go recruit this spring and go make sure we have enough handlers in our program and guards and all that. So we’ll do that,” he said. “When you lose a player, you want to make sure they land on their feet and go from there, because it is about them having an awesome experience and getting a great education. Jahvin knows I’m here for him. I have great respect for the young man.”

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