Penn State Basketball Goes Portaling Once Again, This Time to Miami

The Lions get a commitment from 6-11 center Favour Aire, who went to the Final Four with the Miami Hurricanes.

Jay Biggerstaff/USA Today Sports

Favour Aire, a 6-11 center who was part of Miami's run to the NCAA Final Four as a freshman, will play for Penn State next season. Aire on Monday announced his decision to transfer to the Nittany Lions for the 2023-24 college basketball season.

Aire played in 14 games last season for the Hurricanes, who reached the Final Four as a No. 5 seed. He entered the NCAA Transfer Portal in April after the NCAA Tournament and chose Penn State. 

Aire, who is from Nigeria, played high school basketball at Bishop McNamara in Maryland. As a senior he averaged 16 points per game and grabbed 231 total rebounds during a season in which he recorded 24 double-doubles. He was a nominee for the 2022 McDonald's All-America Game and received offers from Georgetown, Indiana, Pitt, Maryland and Louisville, among others. He was a 3-star prospect, according to 247Sports, and the No. 4 overall prospect in Maryland, according to ESPN and 247Sports.

Aire is the eighth player to join Penn State's roster as a transfer under coach Mike Rhoades. The Lions' eclectic roster includes transfer players with significant NCAA Tournament experience. In addition to Aire, who went to the Final Four with Miami, Penn State signed a Final Four participant in Puff Johnson, who helped North Carolina to the 2022 NCAA championship game. The Lions also have signed players from VCU, Georgetown and Temple while retaining three players from their 2023 NCAA Tournament team. In addition, the Lions recently received a commitment from a point guard from Iceland. Penn State has 12 players on scholarship and needs one more to complete its scholarship roster.

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.