Three Reasons Penn State's Revamped Roster Could Be Better Than Expected

Penn State is dipping its toe back into the pool of College Football Playoff expectations, which might surface some unpleasant flashbacks to last season. The playoff predictions have plenty to do with the Nittany Lions' friendly 2026 schedule, with the roster acting as a secondary piece to the plan.

Yet in his first five months as Penn State's football coach, Matt Campbell quietly and deliberately put together a competitive roster that could capitalize on that schedule and not merely benefit from it. Here's why Campbell's 2026 Nittany Lions roster might be flying under the radar.

The Iowa State offense connection

Yes, Campbell opened himself to the "Penn State Nittany Cyclones" and "East Iowa State" jokes by bringing about a quarter of his Iowa State roster to State College. Twenty-four former Cyclones, 14 of whom play on offense, transferred to Penn State with Campbell and several assistants.

But what makes the transfer group valuable is its experience together. Rocco Becht is the most experienced returning FBS quarterback with more than 2,500 snaps. He completed a combined 125 passes to Iowa State's top four receivers, all of whom joined him at Penn State.

Becht, receivers Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen, tight end Ben Brahmer and running back Carson Hansen all played in Taylor Mouser's offense, for which the coordinator has generated a software patch for Big Ten competition.

Trevor Buhr is a plug-and-play left guard, though he has big shoes to fill in replaicing Olaivavega Ioane. Campbell even brought his backup quarterback, Alex Manske, from Iowa State. This is a group of players and coaches who simply moved their operations base and began production immediately. They're positioned for Year 1 success.

Compensating for the 'talent gap'

According to 247Sports, Penn State's 2026 incoming class ranks 43th nationally in terms of total talent. That includes 40 transfers and the 15 players in the 2026 recruiting class.

Underneath that, however, two things stand out. First, Penn State's transfer class ranked sixth nationally. Part of that was volume, but Campbell's targeted acquisitions added experience and value.

Outside of the Iowa State transfer class, Campbell found running back James Peoples at Ohio State, where he wasn't climbing the depth chart. In Peoples, Penn State has a player who fills a vital need as a potential big-play back. Offensive line coach Ryan Clanton also was thrilled to land redshirt sophomore center Brock Riker from Texas State, where he was named to The Athletic's freshman All-America team last season.

Campbell scoured the portal more broadly on defense, bringing in players from six schools beyond Iowa State. Two of note played for defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn at UCLA, where Lynn coded his philosophy of deploying big interior tackles.

So even though they didn't practice much this spring, tackles Siale Taupaki (6-4, 337) and Keanu Williams (6-5, 329) fit Penn State's wish list: big, veteran defensive linemen who still have a lot to give, and prove, in college.

Penn State also brought in third-year defensive tackle Armstrong Nnodim from Oklahoma State and sophomore defensive end Alexander McPherson from Colorado. Both players made significant strides during spring drills, notably Nnodim, who might be the best transfer of the bunch.

An underrated retention plan

Penn State certainly lost talent to the transfer portal. A total of 47 Nittany Lions left the program after last season, including a key group of players who would have made a difference this year: defensive ends Zuriah Fisher and Chaz Coleman, defensive tackle Xavier Gilliam and safety King Mack.

However, Campbell leaned on cornerbacks coach Terry Smith to evaluate the returning roster and make difficult decisions. First, most of Smith's position group returned, making it one of the team's best.

Second, Campbell prioritized experienced leaders who helped smooth the transition and will be players. Offensive linemen Cooper Cousins and Anthony Donkoh have been ambassadors for the offense. Though he didn't practice this spring, tight end Andrew Rappleyea was Penn State's first choice at the position.

Linebacker Tony Rojas had plenty of transfer options, even after tearing an ACL last season, yet returned as a potential captain. And Ryan Barker's return meant one fewer portal headache: finding a reliable kicker.

And third, Campbell and general manager Derek Hoodjer identified the most important young talent to retain and recorded a strong rate of return. Though he couldn't keep Coleman, Campbell did get commitments from promising edge rushers Yvan Kemajou and Max Granville. Similarly, linebacker Alex Tatsch came back after his freshman season ended to injury.

Campbell not only retained LaVar Arrington II but also moved him to defensive end, the position of his future. The coach retained the most important receiver in Koby Howard, brought back running back Quinton Martin Jr. after his Pinstripe Bowl breakthrough and kept 5-star redshirt freshman Malachi Goodman, likely the team's starting left tackle next season. Overall, Campbell's retention strategy blended well with the transfer goals.

Sign up to our free Penn State Nittany Lions newsletter and follow us on social media.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow