Penn State’s new-look roster is getting most of the attention, but the real test might be how quickly everything clicks around it.
Head coach Matt Campbell brought in a heavy wave of transfers to help replace the players who left, whether by transfer or for the NFL, and that turnover has made the roster one of the biggest storylines around the Nittany Lions. Former quarterback Todd Blackledge said he’s just as interested in seeing how the coaching staff comes together, especially on defense.
Campbell added several coaches from Iowa State, but most of the staff came from the offensive side. On defense, former Cyclone coach Deon Broomfield is in the mix, while the rest of that unit was built from coaches who arrived from other programs.
"I think it's an excellent staff . . . and I'm curious to see just how it all works together this fall," Blackledge said.
There was also a little blue-and-white interest elsewhere in the ACC over the weekend. Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi stirred things up when he said on a radio interview that the ACC was "as good as any conference in the country," then went a step further and claimed the ACC is better than the Big Ten. That didn’t exactly land well with Penn State fans, and it only added to the dislike many already have for the Panthers’ coach.
On the brighter side, former Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula finally gets another shot in the spotlight. He won the starting job at Virginia, beating out Pittsburgh transfer Eli Holstein.
Pribula is entering his final NCAA season after starting 10 games for Missouri in 2025. Penn State never got to see the Pennsylvania native fully shine in Happy Valley, but he’ll get his chance in the ACC.
The quarterback conversation around Penn State doesn’t stop there. In Josh Yourish’s film review, he broke down both the strengths and flaws in Rocco Becht’s game. Becht doesn’t have a big arm, but he compensates with anticipation and enough touch to make him a viable college quarterback.
"He also throws with great anticipation, something his predecessor at Iowa State, Brock Purdy, has ridden to becoming a franchise quarterback at the next level," Yourish wrote. "That helps paper over any arm strength deficiencies in his game, which injuries may have exacerbated in 2025."
Becht also brings a strong understanding of the college game. He knows where to go with the ball, how to read things before the snap, and when to take off and run. But there’s still a catch: when his feet get out of sync, his passing can fall apart.
"He’s very accurate when he’s in rhythm, but when his feet lose momentum, he’s in trouble. He needs to clean up that footwork to become a more consistent passer who relies less on hitting the deep ball," Yourish wrote.
If Becht sharpens those areas, the 2026 season will be a real test of both his recovery from injury and his ability to run an offense without the same supporting cast he had at Iowa State in 2024.
Looking further ahead, 2028 quarterback James Armstrong continues to build momentum. That should matter to Penn State fans, especially with Becht only expected to be around for one season and the quarterback depth chart still waiting for a full stress test.
In an interview with Blue White Illustrated, Armstrong said he doesn’t see the rest of his recruitment as Penn State simply holding onto him. Instead, he views it as his job to keep proving he belongs.
He also said earlier that NIL doesn’t affect his decision. When it comes to games, his focus stays simple.
"I'm playing to win," he said.
That kind of mindset is exactly what Campbell wants. As Armstrong develops as both a quarterback and a person, Penn State should be the one benefiting.
The preseason lists are starting to roll in, too. The Big Ten Huddle put together a ranking of under-the-radar players in the conference, and Penn State center and Texas State transfer Brock Riker landed at No. 2 on the 10-player list, behind Oregon linebacker Devon Jackson.
Riker started 12 games in 2025 and did not allow a sack on pass-blocking snaps. He’s battling Dominic Rulli for the starting center job, and the early signs suggest he has a strong case to win it.
PFF College also weighed in on the Big Ten’s returning quarterbacks and gave Becht an 80.0 overall grade. He came in sixth on the 10-player list, ahead of Washington’s Demon Williams Jr. and behind Illinois’ Katin Houser.
In Other News...
Penn State Adds Colorado Transfer Alex McPherson To Reload Edge Depth
Penn State is continuing to stock up on edge depth, and Alex McPherson fits the kind of long, developmental profile the program has often tried to mine. The 6-foot-6, 254-pound transfer spent the 2025 season at Colorado, where he got into 10 games and showed enough activity to keep coaches interested, even if his role there was still clearly a work in progress.
McPherson arrives in State College with some pass-rush upside and a chance to grow inside Penn States new defensive system, which should give him a cleaner path to carve out a role. He was a three-star prospect out of high school, and for a defense always looking to reload up front, the appeal is obvious: a player with tools, production flashes and room to develop into more. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Faces A Familiar Pitt Debate With Bigger Stakes Now
The old Penn State-Pitt football argument keeps resurfacing, and this time it comes with a little more weight behind it. Pat Narduzzi has made it clear Pitt would take the game immediately if it were put on the schedule, a familiar stance in a rivalry that still carries plenty of history even after years without a meeting. The last time the teams played was in 2019, and Penn State has controlled the series in recent decades, which only adds to the sense that this is more than a nostalgic scheduling debate.
Matt Campbell, though, has not sounded eager to chase the rivalry for rivalrys sake, preferring to keep his focus on building a strong culture and a program with bigger competitive priorities. That is where the conversation gets tricky for Penn State, because the appeal of the matchup is obvious to fans, but the stakes in the modern schedule are different now. With Pitt willing and Penn State more cautious, the question is not whether the rivalry still matters. It is whether the Lions see enough value in bringing it back. [Read more 🡒]