Penn State may be heading into its Big Ten opener without the receiver who has powered so much of its early offense.
Koby Howard is questionable for Saturday’s game against Wisconsin, head coach Matt Campbell said Tuesday. Howard, who has been Penn State’s breakout receiver in the 3-0 start, got “dinged” on his 70-yard touchdown run against Buffalo.
"Right now, we probably don't know where he'll be at the end of the week," Campbell said at his weekly press conference. "He went through a couple of things [Monday], and we'll gauge where he is."
Howard’s production has been impossible to miss. Through three games, he has 12 catches for 344 yards and ranks fourth in the Big Ten in receiving yards per game at 114.7. He is also averaging a team-high 122.7 all-purpose yards per game and shares the team lead in touchdowns with tight end Ben Brahmer, with three.
He has been one of the conference’s biggest downfield threats, too. Howard leads the Big Ten and ranks third nationally in average yards per catch at 28.67. He is tied for the national lead in receptions of 30 yards or more with five, and in catches of 40 yards or more with four.
Penn State has leaned on him in a big way. Howard has accounted for the four longest receptions for the Nittany Lions and has eight of the team’s 23 plays of 20-plus yards. In the 55-13 win over Buffalo, he became the first Penn State receiver to score a rushing and receiving yard in the same game since KJ Hamler in 2018.
In a short Penn State career, Howard has turned 10 of his 19 receptions into gains of 20 yards or more. He is averaging 25.1 yards per catch with the Nittany Lions after posting a 19-yard average per reception as a freshman in 2025.
His season started with a statement against Marshall, when he posted six catches for 161 yards in the opener. That made him the first Penn State receiver to go over 150 receiving yards in a game since Parker Washington’s 179-yard day against Ohio State in 2022.
After that performance, Howard said he was driven by the chance he had been given.
“I went in there knowing that I had stuff to prove,” Howard said. “I was showing the coaches that I could be trusted, and I really don’t want to come off the field, honestly. So it was just showing the coaches that I could do that and showing them that they could throw me the ball in the game.”
Quarterback Rocco Becht saw the potential early and has already been building around it. Becht and Howard worked together in California after spring practice, and that connection has shown up through the first three games.
"That guy is really special," Becht said. "... Hopefully, I can get him over 1000 yards receiving."
Penn State hosts Wisconsin at 5 p.m. ET Saturday at Beaver Stadium. The game will stream live on Peacock.
The Big Ten’s new availability reporting system also comes into play this week. Teams must submit four reports before conference games, with Penn State’s first due by 8 p.m. ET Wednesday ahead of the matchup with Wisconsin.
The conference will then require pregame reports Wednesday, Thursday and Friday listing players as probable, questionable, doubtful, out or out (first half). On gamedays, teams will list players as game-time decision, out or out (first half). Anyone not included in those categories is considered available.
In Other News...
Penn State Fans Face One Annoying Hurdle For Wisconsin Opener
Penn States Big Ten opener against Wisconsin at Beaver Stadium comes with a familiar kind of modern annoyance for fans: a 5 p.m. ET kickoff that will not be on traditional TV. Instead, Saturdays game will be streamed exclusively on Peacock, meaning anyone who wants to watch the Nittany Lions open conference play will need a subscription to NBC Universals streaming platform.
Peacocks role is not limited to this matchup, either, as it will carry other Big Ten Saturday Night games throughout the 2026 season while also serving up a wider menu of football and entertainment programming. For Penn State fans, the immediate issue is simple enough, though no less frustrating, since a marquee home opener now comes with one more step before the first snap. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Suddenly Has A Koby Howard Concern Heading Into Next Week
Penn State left its win over Buffalo with more than one health item to monitor, and the most attention naturally landed on Koby Howard. The injury happened on a long touchdown run, a play that should have been all celebration for the Nittany Lions, but instead turned into the kind of moment teams revisit closely as they turn the page to the next week.
Matt Campbells update left Howards status uncertain for the upcoming game, which gives Penn State an early concern to sort through before its next outing. Brock Riker is expected to be available, while Andrew Rappleyea and Tyler Armstead are both questionable after injuries sustained during the game, leaving the staff with a small cluster of availability questions to manage in practice. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Just Got An Early Recruiting Sign Matt Campbell Needed
Penn States 2028 recruiting class got a notable boost in the latest Rivals update, with quarterback commit James Armstrong jumping 40 spots to No. 61 overall and No. 7 among quarterbacks. The rise gives the Nittany Lions an early talking point as they continue to build out the class, especially with Armstrong emerging as one of the more visible in-state commitments tied to the programs efforts in Pennsylvania.
Head coach Matt Campbell and his staff have made it clear they trust their own evaluations more than outside rankings, but movement like this still matters for perception and momentum. Armstrongs climb contrasts with another in-state commit, cornerback Deonte Flemings Jr., who slid 50 spots, leaving Penn State with an uneven snapshot for now and a reminder that the early stages of a recruiting cycle can swing in different directions quickly. [Read more 🡒]