Penn State Nittany Lions 2026 Season Preview

The centerpiece is Rocco Becht, a three-year Iowa State starter who follows Campbell east as the most experienced quarterback in the FBS. Becht owns 39 career starts, 26 wins and more than 2,500 snaps, and he has thrown for 9,274 yards and 64 touchdowns while adding 19 scores on the ground. He is a gamer with the tools to score in bunches, though durability is the concern: he played through a torn labrum, a sprained AC joint and two concussions last season, then had offseason surgery on his non-throwing shoulder that limited him in spring, when he took mental reps inside Beaver Stadium with a virtual-reality headset.

The depth behind him is thin and unproven. Redshirt freshman Alex Manske, another Iowa State transfer, missed spring with an injury, Connor Barry drew the bulk of the reps and impressed with his arm strength, and Division III transfer Connor Lambert is the only other passer on the roster who has taken a college snap. Keeping Becht upright is paramount.

Becht did not travel alone. His top four Iowa State targets came with him, headlined by 6-foot-7 tight end Benjamin Brahmer, who is positioned to extend Penn State's recent run of drafted tight ends after posting 977 receiving yards over the past three seasons. He pairs with returning starter Andrew Rappleyea, an athletic pass catcher who hauled in 20 receptions a year ago; together they form one of the more dangerous tight end tandems in the country.

The wideout picture is less settled. Chase Sowell, a 6-3 veteran with 1,300 receiving yards across two East Carolina seasons, and Brett Eskildsen, who went for 526 yards last fall, followed Becht from Ames, while returning sophomore Koby Howard flashed down the stretch, averaging 19 yards on his seven catches and starting four of the final six games. How quickly the group coheres will shape the offense's ceiling.

The backfield is a strength. Carson Hansen led Iowa State in rushing each of the past two years, running for 952 yards and 13 scores in 2025 en route to second-team all-conference honors, and he closed with five straight 100-yard games, including a career-best 152 against BYU. He shares the load with James Peoples, an Ohio State transfer who gained 541 yards over two seasons in Columbus, while sophomore Quinton Martin, a 103-yard performer in the bowl, adds another option.

The offensive line is the roster's biggest project, with four new starters to integrate in camp. Right tackle Anthony Donkoh is the lone returning starter and profiles as one of the league's better linemen after 22 career starts. Former five-star Malachi Goodman steps in at the other tackle and carries first-round upside as a raw but exceptional athlete. Inside, Cooper Cousins anchors at guard in his third season on campus and could start anywhere in the conference, joined by former Cyclone Trevor Buhr and Texas State transfer Brock Riker, a center who made an immediate impression in spring and draws praise as a potential top pivot nationally. Coordinator Taylor Mouser is not shy about installing pro concepts, so the unit's learning curve will be steep.

D'Anton Lynn, an All-Big Ten cornerback at Penn State before three seasons in Los Angeles at UCLA and USC, returns to his alma mater to rebuild a defense replacing nine starters and switching from a three-man to a four-man front. He restocked the interior with four transfer tackles who each weigh at least 319 pounds: Armstrong Nnodim from Oklahoma State, Keanu Williams and Siale Taupaki from UCLA, and Dallas Vakalahi from Utah. Taupaki, a 335-pounder who played for Lynn with the Bruins, arrives for an eighth college season, and Nnodim brought 11 tackles for loss with him. The edge is younger and thinner: former Cyclone Ikenna Ezeogu brings experience, but returners Yvan Kemajou and Max Granville are still developing. The plan is to use the added beef inside to funnel plays to the linebackers.

That funnel points to a genuine strength at Linebacker U. Tony Rojas is the defense's best returning player, a three-year contributor with 105 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and three sacks who could have commanded far more elsewhere in the portal; a torn ACL before the UCLA game was a turning point in the lost season. He anchors what Campbell calls the best linebacker room he has coached, flanked by two former Iowa State standouts in Kooper Ebel, who racked up 149 tackles and 12 tackles for loss last year, and Caleb Bacon, a 131-tackle producer. Cael Brezina and Alex Tatsch give the group real depth.

The secondary has a chance to be a strength. Cornerbacks Audavion Collins and Zion Tracy are the only returning starters on the entire defense; Collins is a steady veteran, while Tracy is a Swiss Army knife capable of lining up at several spots. Promising sophomore Daryus Dixson is poised to grab the other outside job after breaking up six passes as a true freshman. The safeties carry an Iowa State flavor: Marcus Neal Jr., an All-Big 12 honoree with 11 tackles for loss in 2025, will captain the back end and rates as one of the best defenders Lynn has coached, and he is joined by fellow Cyclone transfer Jamison Patton. Jeremiah Cooper, another Ames product with eight career interceptions, would already be in the NFL had he stayed healthy last fall.

Retaining Ryan Barker was among the quietest wins of the offseason. He led the FBS by connecting on 94.7 percent of his field goals, going 18 of 19 without a miss inside 50 yards, and he is 33 of 37 for his career. Mississippi State transfer Nathan Tiyce, an Australian who averaged 39 yards per punt, handles the other kicking job, and coordinator Justin Lustig returns after a strong debut season. Quinton Martin and Koby Howard headline the return units.