Caleb Bacon’s Penn State debut came with a familiar kind of payoff.
After closing his Iowa State career by earning conference recognition, the fifth-year senior did it again in his first game with the Nittany Lions, landing Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors on Monday after a disruptive performance against Marshall. Bacon piled up three tackles for loss and a sack in Penn State’s 45-0 win, sharing the award with UCLA’s Ta’Shawn James, who had two interceptions against Cal.
Bacon’s stat line was built in limited work. He finished with six combined tackles in fewer than 20 defensive snaps and watched much of the second half from the sideline as Penn State coasted.
The early returns have been exactly what Penn State hoped for when Bacon shifted from linebacker to defensive end this preseason. Matt Campbell pointed to the versatility Bacon showed in his Iowa State days when discussing the move.
"If you go back to some of Bacon's last two years, you saw there was a lot of multiplicity in what he did there," Penn State coach Matt Campbell said during a postgame press conference. "You saw him in some very similar roles."
At 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds, Bacon was one of Campbell’s most effective blitzers at Iowa State last season. He finished his Cyclones career with a three-sack game against Oklahoma State and was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week.
Now he’s drawn that kind of attention in consecutive games.
"I think Caleb is such an incredible story," Campbell said. "He started off as a walk-on. He was coming out of middle of nowhere, Iowa."
Bacon’s path has been a grind from the start. As an upperclassman at Lake Mills (Iowa) High School, he posted 195 tackles, including 29 for loss, but had no FBS offers and chose to walk on at Iowa State.
"Obviously I always kind of hold that chip on my shoulder a little bit," Bacon said on Saturday. "If you ask anybody who ever started a walk-on, they'll say that you've got to kind of want it a little bit more than somebody else. You might not be the most skilled, but your work ethic has to be above anybody else."
He grew into a starting linebacker with the Cyclones and was one of 24 players who followed Campbell to Penn State. That background has made him one of the more interesting pieces on a retooled roster.
"He can play edge, he can play Sam, he can play Mike, he can play Will," defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn said during preseason camp. "He can play all those spots, and he has in the past.
So I just see him as a versatile piece up front. Sometimes it might depend on the personnel package.
Sometimes it might depend on the other team's personnel."
Bacon has embraced the switch.
"Always be ready for anything," he said of his mindset. "If I need to go back and play linebacker, if I need to play more edge, I'm ready for whatever. I went through spring ball strictly at linebacker, so I've been able to see a lot of the coverage aspect and the back-end part of it, which really helps with understanding the whole concept of this defense."
Penn State held Marshall to 147 total yards in the shutout. The Nittany Lions now head to Philadelphia for a Saturday noon matchup with Temple.
In Other News...
Temple Heads To Penn State With One Problem Fans Will Notice
Temples trip to Penn State comes with a little more uncertainty than a normal September road test, starting up front where the Owls are already shorthanded. KC Keeler confirmed that starting left tackle Giakoby Hills will be out for six weeks, a significant blow to an offensive line that has to deal with one of the bigger fronts on the schedule.
The injury picture does not stop there, either. Starting tackle Kevin Terry and left guard Eric King are both game-time decisions, which leaves Temple waiting to see how much of its protection plan will be available by kickoff. The quarterback situation is still unsettled as well, with the Owls choosing between Jaxon Smolik and Ajani Sheppard for the starting job, adding another layer of uncertainty to a matchup that already looks demanding. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Just Put Its Recruiting Board On Notice
Matt Campbells first game at Penn State doubled as a recruiting showcase, with multiple prospects from the 2027 through 2029 classes on hand. The guest list included current commits and a handful of targets the staff is still trying to bring into the fold, a reminder that big-game Saturdays in State College are as much about the future as the present.
Among the names in attendance were 5-star cornerback Nasir Richardson from the 2028 class and 4-star edge rusher DJ Dockery from the 2029 class, both the kind of young blue-chippers Penn State wants to keep circling. The staff also added to the board by extending an offer to 3-star defensive lineman McCoy Richardson, a prospect viewed as a possible flip from Wake Forest, leaving the rest of that recruiting picture to keep developing after the visit. [Read more 🡒]
DAnton Lynn Just Raised A Big Penn State Defense Question
Penn States secondary is already looking a little different as the season settles in, and DAnton Lynn made it clear why true freshman Josiah Zayas is getting first crack at cornerback. Lynn pointed to Zayas mental strength and steady development, a notable endorsement for a young player stepping into a demanding spot on a defense that is still sorting itself out.
Lynn also signaled that the scheme itself is going to keep evolving, with the staff planning to add complexity gradually rather than overload the group early. With Temple next on the road, he emphasized communication and preparation as the big keys, which leaves an obvious question hanging over the defense: how quickly can a young corner and a growing playbook handle the next test? [Read more 🡒]