Penn State’s preseason camp produced more than a few names worth watching, but five players clearly separated themselves in August.
Audavion Collins sits near the top of that list. The redshirt senior cornerback, who started his college career at Mississippi State, has become one of the Lions’ most dependable players.
Collins and the versatile Zion Tracy look like Penn State’s top cornerback pair, and both are expected to matter plenty on special teams. Collins already made his presence felt on punt coverage in 2025, while Tracy brings the kind of speed that can flip a game as a returner.
Matt Campbell put it plainly when he said of Collins: “What he practices like, what he plays like, the consistency that he has given us, just in general as a football team, has been remarkable.”
Up front, Malachi Goodman has moved from highly regarded recruit to opening-day starter. The redshirt freshman is set to start at left tackle against Marshall on Saturday at Beaver Stadium, and Penn State is trusting the 6-6, 330-pound blocker to protect veteran quarterback Rocco Becht’s blind side. Goodman was one of the marquee additions in Penn State’s 2025 recruiting class, and his athleticism at that size stands out.
James Peoples is another August winner, and he may have made the running back picture clearer - or at least more interesting. There still might be a battle with Quinton Martin Jr. for the No. 2 job behind Carson Hansen.
Or maybe Peoples has already pulled ahead. The Ohio State transfer has earned steady praise from Campbell and running backs coach Savon Huggins, and his work in pass protection has been a major step forward.
That matters because Penn State wants someone who can stand up to blitzes coming at Becht in passing downs.
At safety, Josiah Zayas has gone from early enrollee to legitimate contender. The true freshman made a splash with an interception in the Blue-White scrimmage at Beaver Stadium in late April and kept stacking good days throughout camp.
Campbell said Tuesday that the 6-2, 205-pound Zayas is pushing for a starting job. “I think one of the guys that was probably the surprise of (August) is Josiah Zayas.
“(He’s) now pushing to start. Is he a guy that’s playing so good that you can’t keep him off the field.”
The last name on the list is Alex Manske, whose path has already been unusual. The second-year quarterback was with Campbell at Iowa State last season, but he missed spring drills while recovering from open-heart surgery.
Now he’s back, and the talent is obvious: a strong arm, plus enough running ability to matter when he takes off. He’s also viewed as the likely successor to Becht in 2027.
Mouser was direct about what Manske has shown. “Alex Manske is one of the most talented guys on the offense,” Mouser said.
“We’re not going to be able to keep him off the field this year. He’s forced us to have to play him.
“When you get a guy like that who can go in the game and operate at a high level on that stage, you feel really good.”
In Other News...
Penn States Backup QB Is Forcing His Way Into The Offense
Alex Manskes path back to the field has already made him one of the more compelling stories around Penn State as the season opener against Marshall approaches. After recovering from open heart surgery, the backup quarterback is now expected to be available, and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser has made it clear Manske is not just along for the ride. His talent and versatility have put him in position to matter on offense right away, which says plenty about how quickly he has worked himself back into the conversation.
Rocco Becht has noticed the progress, too, and the starting quarterbacks confidence in Manske only adds to the sense that this could become more than a depth-chart note. For Penn State, having a reserve quarterback who can handle real snaps and potentially expand what the offense can do is a useful development before the first kickoff even arrives. The bigger question now is how large a role Manske can carve out once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Fans Just Got A Tough NFL Cutdown Reality Check
The NFL preseason wrapped up with several former Penn State standouts making their case in the final weeks, and a few of them gave teams plenty to think about before cutdown day. Sean Clifford even threw a touchdown for the Cincinnati Bengals, while Dani Dennis-Sutton flashed with his first NFL sack for the Green Bay Packers and Dom DeLuca finished his preseason stint by leading the Baltimore Ravens in tackles. For Penn State fans, it was the kind of late-August run that reminded them how many familiar names are trying to carve out roles on pro rosters.
The final decisions still landed hard. Clifford was waived by Cincinnati as the Bengals opted to keep two quarterbacks, and DeLuca did not stick in Baltimore despite his tackle total. On the wide receiver front, the Los Angeles Chargers kept KeAndre Lambert-Smith on the roster, while Liam Clifford and Devonte Ross came up short, a mixed outcome that left Penn States NFL following with both a few wins to celebrate and a few disappointments to absorb. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Just Reopened One Of Its Most Sensitive Football Debates
Penn State Athletics is opening a new stop inside the All-Sports Museum at Beaver Stadium this week, and it is one sure to draw attention well beyond the usual campus crowd. The Paterno Family Football Experience Room will open to the public Thursday, giving visitors a closer look at one of the most complicated eras in the programs history through Joe Paternos original office desk, personal artifacts and a timeline of his Penn State legacy, along with other football history displays.
The room is being presented as part of a broader effort to preserve and tell the story of Penn State football, which means the museum is not just adding another exhibit but revisiting a name that still carries real weight in Happy Valley. For fans, alumni and anyone who follows the program closely, the space figures to become a focal point because it puts the schools most recognizable football figure back in the center of the conversation, even as the larger debate around how that history should be remembered remains unresolved. [Read more 🡒]