Penn State’s first week in pads has already given the Nittany Lions a clearer picture of who’s making noise and who’s forcing their way into the conversation.
With 11-on-11 work now underway in training camp, several transfers and returning players have stepped forward early for a team that opens the 2026 season Sept. 5 against Marshall at Beaver Stadium. The early crop of standouts touches both sides of the ball, and the common thread is pretty simple: these players are showing traits Penn State can use right away if the momentum holds.
At receiver, Iowa State transfer Eskildsen has wasted little time flashing the kind of speed that made him the first Penn State wideout to land on Bruce Feldman’s college football “Freaks List.” The downfield element he’s brought to camp is hard to miss.
Eskildsen has already hauled in eye-catching catches deep, giving Penn State an immediate vertical threat after last season’s offense lacked one. He’s not arriving as a blank slate, either; he made plenty of big plays for the Cyclones a year ago.
But early camp has shown a wider range, with Eskildsen beating coverage and finishing plays.
"He has strong hands and has the ability to accelerate down the field vertically," Campbell said. "He can do a lot of different things and can be a great special teams player as well."
Up front, Ikenna Ezeogu has been one of the more striking athletes on the field. Listed at 6-5 and 275 pounds, he pops first because of the frame.
Then he starts moving, and that’s where the real separation comes in. Defensive line coach Ikaika Malloe pointed to Ezeogu’s unusual mobility for a player that size, and Penn State is already exploring different ways to use him.
Ezeogu played multiple spots on Iowa State’s defensive line last season, and while edge rusher is where he’ll begin, the Nittany Lions clearly plan to move him around. Defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn is working on creative ways to deploy him, and Malloe said Ezeogu can line up just about anywhere from the interior to the edge.
"He can touch the ground and come back up without putting his face in the ground," defensive line coach Ikaika Malloe said. "... He's just built a little bit different."
"He's a guy that can play from zero technique [lined directly over center] all the way to the outside edge," Malloe said. "And if we can get him in the position that we think we can, then hopefully we can expose other people."
Quarterback Alex Manske has also made a quick impression after missing spring practice because of what Campbell called a medical condition. He’s returned looking leaner and sharper, and in Penn State’s first open practice he delivered several standout throws while settling into the QB2 role. That’s a meaningful development for the Nittany Lions, who needed him to step into that spot.
"You feel good when the ball's in his hands," offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser said. "You always feel like that guy's going to find a way to make a play."
At tight end, Rappleyea has brought the kind of energy that had to be checked early in camp before the pads came on. Now that contact work is here, Penn State’s staff is eager to let him roll. Mouser, who also coaches the tight ends, highlighted Rappleyea’s versatility and his ability to contribute in multiple phases.
"He's been one of the people who have stood out to me," said Mouser, who also coaches Penn State's tight ends. "...
He's so twitchy, he's so athletic, he's so physical, he's so willing. He's gonna catch so many passes for us here.
He's gonna block so many great runs here for us. He's so versatile in what he can do."
On the edge, Granville has taken a big step after losing last season to a torn ACL and sitting out spring with a back injury. Penn State badly needs defensive ends to emerge, and Granville has been one of the players drawing strong early grades. Sophomore Yvan Kemajou and former Iowa State linebacker Caleb Bacon have also earned positive marks, and that group has made the position look far healthier than it did not long ago.
"He can do things that other other people right now on our team cannot from every position," Malloe said of Granville. "He has strength, he has speed, he has quickness. His athletic ability for sure ... we have to use that in terms of what he can do."
There’s also a real battle taking shape at left tackle. Redshirt freshman Malachi Goodman remains the leader for the job, but Garrett Sexton is pushing hard after adding 20 pounds in the offseason and now checking in at 6-6, 315. Campbell said Sexton and redshirt freshman Owen Aliciene could keep that competition alive into the opening weeks of the season.
"You talk about where he was at the beginning of the summer to where he finished at the end of the summer," Campbell said of Sexton. "He put on a good really 20 pounds physically and looks as good as I've ever seen him."
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