Matt Campbell got his first Big Ten Media Days turn as Penn State’s head coach on Tuesday, and the biggest news out of his availability had nothing to do with scheme or depth charts. It was the injury front.
Campbell said several key pieces are on track to be back when fall camp opens, including linebacker Tony Rojas, right tackle Anthony Donkoh, and tight end Andrew Rappleyea. All three were among the players who had been working back from injuries during a spring that was already stretched thin by the demands of adding 39 incoming transfers.
One of the more encouraging updates involved quarterback Alex Manske, who is also expected to be ready for camp after missing spring while recovering from a procedure. Campbell called that development “Monumental” to have QB Alex Manske ready for camp.
Manske’s return matters because he is viewed as the front-runner for QB2 behind Rocco Becht, and he already knows Taylor Mouser’s offense from his time at Iowa State. Becht, who was brought to Chicago for Big Ten Media Days, had returned by the end of spring after missing time himself.
Donkoh’s path back is especially notable. He suffered a season-ending injury in November and had an unspecified “medical procedure.”
He also missed the end of the 2024 season after starting much of that year at right tackle. Last season he played right guard with Nolan Rucci at right tackle, and now he’s expected to move back outside for his redshirt junior year.
Rojas’ situation is different, but just as important. He was an early contributor in his Penn State career, then tore his ACL in a late-September practice after the Nittany Lions’ loss to Oregon.
Unlike Donkoh, he hadn’t dealt with a major college injury before that setback. Both players chose to stay in Happy Valley rather than move on after the season, and that decision has helped steady the transition for Campbell and his staff.
Rappleyea also gives Penn State another healthy body in a tight end room that is going to be crowded. He had largely passed former five-star Luke Reynolds as the top option at the position last season before a lower-body injury early in the offseason kept him out of spring.
Campbell also said Jeremiah Cooper, Alex Tatsch, and Gabe Burkle are expected to be ready sometime in September. Cooper missed most of last season at Iowa State with a torn ACL and was one of the bigger additions Penn State pulled from Campbell’s former roster in Ames. Burkle, a redshirt senior tight end from Iowa State, and Tatsch, a rising sophomore who stayed at Penn State, are both in that same September return window.
For Penn State, the timing helps. The Nittany Lions open with Marshall, Temple, and Buffalo before hosting Wisconsin in their Big Ten opener, giving the roster a little breathing room as these players work their way back.
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Penn States football uniforms are headed for a long-anticipated change, with athletic director Pat Kraft confirming the program will soon add a corporate logo patch to the jerseys. It is the latest sign that even one of college footballs most tradition-heavy brands is adjusting to the new financial realities of the sport, and Penn State is approaching the move with the same caution it has shown in other revenue pursuits.
Kraft said the department is weighing the right fit while trying to protect the look and feel of the jersey, a balancing act that has become familiar across the Big Ten as more schools embrace patch deals. Penn State has already leaned into other money-making avenues, from a cryptocurrency fan token platform to a stadium field-naming rights agreement, and the jersey patch now appears to be the next piece of that broader push, even if the final rollout is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Fans Can See This Uniform Change Coming Now
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An official announcement has not arrived yet, but the expectation around Happy Valley is that the Nittany Lions will not sit this one out for long. Once Penn State does move, the sponsor will say plenty about how the program wants to balance tradition with the modern business of college sports, and it will be worth watching which local or national brand ends up in that spot. [Read more 🡒]
Pat Kraft Just Sent Penn State Fans A Blunt Basketball Message
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Kraft also put the focus on the people trying to make that money matter, praising Mike Rhoades and his staff for the way they have recruited and developed the roster. The message was straightforward: Penn State wants to be competitive at a high level, but getting there means more than just opening the checkbook, and the next step in that climb will depend on how the program keeps bridging the gap with the leagues biggest spenders. [Read more 🡒]