Penn State has added a perimeter piece in Roberts Blums, and the early buzz out of State College is already loud.
The Nittany Lions signed the 6-foot-4 guard from Davidson College on April 20. Blums, a junior from Riga, Latvia, arrives with a track record that jumps off the page: he led Davidson in scoring as a sophomore in 2025-26, putting up 12.4 points per game while adding 3.4 rebounds a night.
He also brought serious shot-making with him. Blums knocked down 77 3-pointers last season for the Wildcats, finished with 21 double-digit scoring games and posted three outings of 20 or more points. That 77 made threes would have topped Penn State last season by a wide margin, with Freddie Dilione leading the Nittany Lions at 42.
Before Blums even got to campus, coach Rhoades was already sold on what he could bring. At the time of the signing, Rhoades said, “Roberts possesses a great ability to stretch the floor, make quick decisions and create his own shot.
He will provide an experienced backcourt presence and we expect him to make an immediate impact as a reliable perimeter threat. We’re excited to welcome him to our Penn State basketball family!”
Now that offseason workouts are underway, Rhoades says Blums has already gone beyond what the staff expected.
When asked this week by Nittany Sports Now which player had surprised him most this offseason with how good he really is on the court, Rhoades pointed to Blums and said, “Roberts Blums from Davidson. He’s just my type of guy.
My type of guard. He’s just super-competitive, works so hard, so into it.
I knew he was a good player coming from a good program like Davidson and he was going to have a lot of things that we were going to like, but he’s taking it to a whole other level.”
That kind of praise matters in Happy Valley, especially because Rhoades had a similar read on another newcomer a year ago. At this time last year, he said 7-foot center Ivan Juric was their most surprising, impactful player. Juric then went on to have a strong freshman season and may have been the team’s all-around best player.
Now the question is whether Blums can turn that same early confidence into production for a Penn State team that looks different heading into the upcoming season.
In Other News...
Penn States Iconic Jersey Is About To Change Forever
Penn States football uniforms are headed for a long-anticipated change, with athletic director Pat Kraft confirming the program will soon add a corporate logo patch to the jerseys. It is the latest sign that even one of college footballs most tradition-heavy brands is adjusting to the new financial realities of the sport, and Penn State is approaching the move with the same caution it has shown in other revenue pursuits.
Kraft said the department is weighing the right fit while trying to protect the look and feel of the jersey, a balancing act that has become familiar across the Big Ten as more schools embrace patch deals. Penn State has already leaned into other money-making avenues, from a cryptocurrency fan token platform to a stadium field-naming rights agreement, and the jersey patch now appears to be the next piece of that broader push, even if the final rollout is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Fans Can See This Uniform Change Coming Now
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An official announcement has not arrived yet, but the expectation around Happy Valley is that the Nittany Lions will not sit this one out for long. Once Penn State does move, the sponsor will say plenty about how the program wants to balance tradition with the modern business of college sports, and it will be worth watching which local or national brand ends up in that spot. [Read more 🡒]
Pat Kraft Just Sent Penn State Fans A Blunt Basketball Message
Penn States mens basketball budget is getting a noticeable lift, and athletic director Pat Kraft made it clear the program is being asked to think bigger about what it takes to compete in the Big Ten. In an interview, Kraft said the Nittany Lions are still spending below the leagues top programs, even as the budget has nearly doubled for the 2026-2027 season and now sits around $8 million, with NIL and third-party support playing a growing role in how schools build rosters.
Kraft also put the focus on the people trying to make that money matter, praising Mike Rhoades and his staff for the way they have recruited and developed the roster. The message was straightforward: Penn State wants to be competitive at a high level, but getting there means more than just opening the checkbook, and the next step in that climb will depend on how the program keeps bridging the gap with the leagues biggest spenders. [Read more 🡒]