Anthony Donkoh is heading into 2026 as one of the most important pieces on Penn State’s offensive line, and the reason is pretty simple: he’s been there before.
The redshirt junior from Aldie, Virginia, has already handled big snaps, big stages and multiple spots along the front. Penn State is in the middle of replacing a chunk of its line - Vega Ioane, Nick Dawkins, T.J. Shanahan, Drew Shelton and Nolan Rucci are all gone - and first-year coaches Matt Campbell and Ryan Clanton are going to lean hard on Donkoh’s experience as they sort out the new look up front.
Last season, Donkoh was on the field for all 13 games and made 11 starts. Pro Football Focus credited him with 693 offensive snaps, split almost evenly between 350 run-blocking snaps and 343 in pass protection. He posted a 69.3 overall grade, a 65.5 run-blocking grade and a 73.8 pass-blocking grade.
The pass protection numbers stand out. Donkoh gave up just one sack in 2025, plus two quarterback hits and 12 hurries over 330 pass-blocking opportunities.
That followed a strong 2024 campaign that helped establish him as more than just a promising young lineman. As a redshirt freshman, he played in 11 games and started 10 times at right tackle. Coaches and media both named him All-Big Ten honorable mention, and he was a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award.
His first start came at West Virginia, where Penn State rolled up 457 yards, averaged 7.6 yards per play and didn’t allow a sack. Against Bowling Green, the Nittany Lions had nine plays of 20 yards or more and produced two 100-yard rushers, with Nicholas Singleton going for 119 and Kaytron Allen adding 101.
Then came the Kent State game, which turned into a record book day. Penn State set school marks with 718 yards of offense and 40 first downs, and threw for 409 yards, the fifth-highest total in program history.
Donkoh’s impact kept showing up after that. He helped Penn State run for 239 yards and three touchdowns against Illinois.
He was part of the line that helped Tyler Warren set Penn State and Big Ten tight end records with 224 receiving yards at USC. Against Washington, Penn State gained 486 yards, rushed for 266 and did not allow a tackle for loss.
At Purdue, the Nittany Lions piled up 539 yards, threw for 305, ran for 234 and didn’t allow a sack.
That was the foundation he carried into 2025, when Penn State again had some of its best offensive moments with him in the lineup. The season opened with 438 yards against Nevada and no sacks allowed.
FIU followed with 409 yards, then Villanova with 465 yards and 237 rushing yards. Against Nebraska, Penn State totaled 412 yards and scored five offensive touchdowns.
At Rutgers, the offense hit its high point with 509 yards, including 300 on the ground, and Kaytron Allen ran for 226 yards.
Donkoh also played in the Pinstripe Bowl against Clemson, when Penn State finished with 397 yards, including 262 through the air.
There’s still room for clean-up. His run-blocking grade dropped from 69.7 in 2024 to 65.5 in 2025, and Penn State’s line as a whole had its uneven stretches. But the bigger point is what Donkoh gives the staff: a player who has already proven he can start and survive in real games.
He’s also becoming more than just a reliable body on the depth chart.
In an interview with State Media, Donkoh said leadership starts with recognizing teammates’ strengths and weaknesses and helping bring the group together. He described the offensive line room in one word: brotherhood. For him, the best part of that room is that players can be themselves and lean on each other.
That matters now more than ever, because Penn State isn’t just trying to identify five starters. It’s trying to build chemistry in front of a new-look offense, and Donkoh has the kind of mileage that can help hold that together.
Before Penn State, he played at Lightridge High School in Virginia for coach Bobby Eavenson. He was a three-year letterman, a three-time team captain and a three-time team MVP.
In three years of varsity football, he allowed only one sack, and he didn’t allow one as a senior. He also made noise on defense that year, finishing with 63 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, 15 quarterback hurries, two pass breakups and three blocked kicks.
Recruiting services liked him plenty. He was rated a four-star prospect by both 247Sports and On3. 247Sports listed him as the No. 18 interior offensive lineman in the class and the No. 10 prospect in Virginia, while On3 had him as the No. 20 interior offensive lineman and the No. 5 player in the state.
He also wrestled at Lightridge.
Off the field, Donkoh’s academic path is just as unusual as his football one. He is majoring in planetary science and astronomy, and when asked what he could give a TED Talk on outside of football, he said space, pointing to classes on black holes, the Big Bang and the history of space.
The fit for 2026 is clear enough. Donkoh should be one of Penn State’s most important offensive linemen, and the real question is where Campbell and Clanton decide to line him up. He has played right tackle and guard, and PFF’s charting from 2025 shows most of his work came at right guard, with some snaps at right tackle.
That versatility gives Penn State options. More importantly, it gives the Nittany Lions a lineman they can trust while everything around him gets sorted out.
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