Forward John Harrar becomes third Penn State basketball player to leave transfer portal and return to Nittany Lions

Penn State forward John Harrar, who started every game last season and led the team in rebounding, has withdrawn his name from the NCAA transfer portal and will return to the Nittany Lions next year for a fifth season, according to a report Tuesday.

Harrar, a graduate of Strath Haven High School, is one of three Penn State players from the Philadelphia area who entered the transfer portal last month shortly after the March 15 hiring of new head coach Micah Shrewsberry but elected to rejoin the Lions.

The others were junior guard Izaiah Brockington (Archbishop Ryan) and sophomore forward Seth Lundy (Roman Catholic). Three other members of the Lions’ regular rotation who entered the transfer portal on the same day have found new teams.

The news of Harrar’s return was first reported by Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.

The 6-foot-9, 240-pound Harrar pulled down 8.8 rebounds per game and also led the Nittany Lions in field-goal percentage (54.9%) while averaging 8.8 points and posting five double-doubles. Because the NCAA did not take a year of eligibility from any player who competed in 2020-21, he is eligible for a fifth season.

The 6-4 Brockington, who began his career at St. Bonaventure, was second on the Lions in scoring (12.6 points per game) and rebounding (4.9) while shooting a team-best 84.1% on free throws. When he announced his return to the program on March 26, he wrote on Twitter he would “test the NBA draft process for feedback on my game.”

Then he added, “Following my meeting with Coach Shrewsberry, I really believe in the vision he has for this program and feel we can do something special.”

» READ MORE: St. Joseph’s signs 7-foot East Carolina transfer Charles Coleman

Lundy, who topped 30 points in two games last season, averaged 10.1 points, third on the Lions, and 4.2 rebounds while knocking down 39 three-point baskets. In an Instagram post Friday announcing his decision, he wrote, “Momma always told me finish what you started.”

The Nittany Lions finished 11-14 last season and 7-12 in the Big Ten. Two starting guards from that team, top scorer Myreon Jones and Jamari Wheeler, their best defensive player, announced their transfer to Florida and Ohio State respectively. Senior forward Trent Buttrick, part of last year’s rotation, moved on to Massachusetts.

A seventh team member, redshirt freshman forward Patrick Kelly, who played just 12 minutes in five games last season, has signed with Fordham.