Penn State basketball: New round of offers out to '27 prospects

Penn State basketball assistant coach Talor Battle didn’t hesitate. Asked about the differences in recruiting between his prior stops at Northwestern and Ohio State against the process now with the Nittany Lions, he said the contrasts were obvious.

“I think what’s good for me now being back here is I’m selling something that I truly believe in. In my prior stops, I was selling whatever Northwestern and Ohio State have. At Penn State, I walked the steps that they did, went to the classes that they’ll be going. So I think from a selling point, that’s a little bit easier,” Battle told reporters late last monht. “But it’s just about forming relationships. In the era of NIL, I think that’s still really important.”

This week, head coach Mike Rhoades and the Nittany Lions’ coaching staff took new steps in that process.

In a wave of updates over social media channels on Monday evening, Penn State issued five new offers to Class of 2027 prospects across the country. Though not the first players to report offers from the Nittany Lions, the first day to officially reach out to rising juniors was on Sunday.

Here is a look at the players targeted:

Penn State extends new Class of 2027 offers

The first offer to come through Monday appeared from 6-foot-1 point guard Antonio Pemberton. The Brewster Academy (Lawrence, Mass.) product carries four-star status in the On3 Industry Ranking and the is the higest ranked of Penn State’s new offers. His offer was the first reported out of two extended to the point guard position, the second going to Joshua Tyson. The Lakota West (Cincinnati, Ohio) product reportedly also heard from Ohio State, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Cincinnati and Butler, according to Prep U over the weekend.

Finally, another offer went out to combo guard prospect Marquis Newson. A 6-foot-5 member of Philadelphia’s Team Final, he also reported an offer from St. Joe’s and told Trent Watson he’s heard from Marquette, UAB, VCU, LaSalle, Cornell, and Pepperdine, among others.

Penn State targets two forwards

In the frontcourt, two new Class of 2027 prospects reported offers to start the week. Davon Maloney, a 6-foot-6 small forward from Newman School in Boston, Mass., is a former teammate of new Nittany Lion guard Reggie Grodin. They both helped lead Newman School to the 2025 NEPSAC AAA Championship this past season. Maloney doesn’t yet carry an On3 ranking.

Not yet as much on the national radar, Penn State also extended an offer to 6-foot-10 center Charles Pur out of the Burlington School (Burlington, N.C.). Unrated by the other services at this point, Pur is a four-star according to On3 and is ranked No. 67 overall in the Class of 2027. Along with the Nittany Lions, Pur has also heard (through his coach) from Kentucky.

“I worry about being aggressive and playing hard regardless of the results,” Pur told On3. “I watch a lot of. They’re both 6-foot-9 or so and good in the mid-range, attacking and facing up, with great footwork. I can see myself playing like that.”

Penn State continues Class of 2026 pursuits

The new crop of offers followed a string of Class of 2026 offers in recent weeks that included On3 Industry Ranking four-star Trent Perry on Saturday following a strong performance last week at the Under Armor Rock Hill event in South Carolina. At the guard position, he joined 6-foot-2 combo guard Markevion Jones, who reported Penn State as his first D1 offer on June 8.

Additionally, offers were made earlier this month to four-star power forward Trey Thompson, who is ranked No. 91 overall in the Class of 2026, as well as PF Quinn Costello and SF Julius Avent out of Bergen Catholic in New Jersey. Costello carries a three-star designation by On3 with the nation’s No. 128 overall ranking, while Avent checks in as a four-star ranked No. 72 overall nationally in the On3 Industry Ranking.

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