STATE COLLEGE — Mike Rhoades’ daughter Porter — a freshman on the Penn State women’s lacrosse team — sat off to the side and out of view of the cameras as dad answered questions for about 30 minutes, previewing the 2024-25 season at Penn State’s local media day. She watched with a close eye and smiled throughout, especially as the Nittany Lion head coach answered a question about the importance of having his family near him.
Taking the Penn State job was a homecoming from the very beginning for Rhoades, a Schuylkill County native. But as he explained on Wednesday, he’s gotten an important homecoming of sorts this year with his family, too.
His daughter is in State College. His wife, Jodie, has moved into town after staying behind in Virginia for the first year after Mike’s move from VCU. They actually get to eat dinner together these days, rather than Mike heating up a frozen pizza on his own. His son, Logan, plays football and basketball at Susquehanna University, where Mike has been able to travel and see a few games. He drives his other son, Chase, to school in the mornings…