UNIVERSITY PARK (WTAJ) — Penn State’s Kebba Njie is in the transfer portal, becoming the first Nittany Lion to look outside since the school introduced Mike Rhoades on Thursday.

Njie, a 6-foot-10-inch center, started 26 games as a freshman.

He averaged 3.4 points, and 3.5 rebounds-per-game and was seen as a key cog in Penn State’s future.

Njie was the highest graded prospect in the team’s coveted 2022 recruiting class and is the third player from that class to enter into the portal, joining Evan Mahaffey and Jameel Brown.

In total, five Nittany Lions are in the transfer portal. Immediately following the season juniors Dallion Johnson and Caleb Dorsey entered the portal.

Since the season’s end Penn State’s rosters has eroded substantially. The team is losing eight seniors, five players are in the portal, and all three players in the Nittany Lions’ recruiting class have asked out of their scholarships. Currently just three players are committed to playing for the Nittany Lions in 2023.

Last week, Penn State introduced Mike Rhoades. The former VCU head coach replaces Micah Shrewsberry who return home to Indiana to coach at Notre Dame.