Penn State’s offensive line has been rebuilt almost from the ground up, but the group enters Saturday’s opener against Marshall sounding like chemistry is the last thing anyone needs to worry about.
The only returning starter is right tackle Anthony Donkoh, and head coach Matt Campbell said this week that left tackle Malachi Williams, left guard Trevor Buhr, center Brock Riker and right guard Cooper Cousins will join him in the first unit. That’s a lot of new faces, a lot of new moving parts and, on paper, a pretty fair reason to wonder how quickly the group would click.
Donkoh doesn’t sound concerned.
“Relationships, you always can improve and stuff like that, but where we're at now, I'm very happy,” Donkoh said after practice Wednesday. “We're a very close-knit group, and that's what we need to be to be a successful offensive line because ultimately, the offense runs through us.”
That closeness, Donkoh said, has been built both on and off the field. The line has spent time together away from football, and that has helped the group settle in faster than expected.
“We can hang out any day of the week and just kick in and relax with each other, and nobody has any ego,” Donkoh said. “They’re all humble, and it's been very good to just be around them and stuff like that. That translates a lot to the field with trust.”
The lineup also comes with some unusual turnover. Donkoh is back at right tackle after playing right guard last season.
Cousins is a team leader. Goodman is stepping into his first real action after redshirting last year.
Buhr and Riker arrived as transfers, with Buhr coming from Iowa State and Riker from Texas State.
Even with that mix, Donkoh said the group found its rhythm quickly.
“It wasn't a hard thing to come about,” Donkoh said. “For us, we're a very humble group, and that's what we have to have to have a very successful offensive line. … It wasn't that long for us to get that camaraderie going, and I'm very excited by how close we are right now going into the season.”
Campbell echoed that confidence while also noting the bumps Penn State dealt with in camp.
“I feel really good about what that group looks like,” Campbell said. “...
We kind of got bit by the injury bug a little bit [during training camp]. I think we'll be back to hopefully close to full strength.”
One of the biggest questions centered on Riker, who beat out redshirt senior Dominic Rulli for the starting center job during camp. Clanton had Riker work on his communication by having him call plays early in camp while shouting them into a hotel bathroom mirror.
That matters more than it might sound. Donkoh said the center has to be the loudest voice in the room, and he compared Riker’s communication to last season’s starter, Nick Dawkins.
“As a center, you have to be vocal,” Donkoh said. “You can't be a great center if you're not going to be able to talk because we need to know where the ID is, the points are, and he does a very good job.”
Riker already earned a second-team Freshman All-American nod from The Athletic last season, but this is a jump into Big Ten football. If he has trouble, Rulli could step in; Campbell said Rulli missed “a couple weeks” of camp. For now, though, Donkoh made it clear he believes Riker is ready for the job.
Donkoh also spent time making sure the new faces are ready for what waits at Beaver Stadium. Penn State opens the season there against Marshall at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday, and he wanted the newcomers to understand the moment.
“I told most of the guys when you run out the tunnel for the first time, embrace it,” Donkoh said. “It's gonna be electric, and then just lock into what has to be done on game day and stuff like that, so it's gonna be pretty good for everybody.”
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Penn State fans heading to Beaver Stadium this weekend are being urged to build extra time into their trip plans as PennDOT rolls out an updated 511PA website and mobile app for home-game travel information. The timing is no accident, with the upcoming matchup against Marshall arriving alongside a busy stretch of road work across the region that could make the usual drive to State College a lot less straightforward.
Construction zones and lane restrictions are in place on major routes through Centre, Clinton, Clearfield and Juniata counties, affecting highways many fans use to reach the stadium. PennDOT is steering drivers to check conditions before leaving and to keep an eye on the 511PA updates, since the changes are expected to ripple through game-day traffic well beyond the immediate area around Beaver Stadium. [Read more 🡒]
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Analytics are part of that equation, especially when fourth down decisions arrive and force a coach to weigh risk against reward. Campbell made it clear those numbers are a tool rather than a mandate, with game flow, momentum and experience still shaping the final call. It is the kind of balance that can define how aggressive a team looks on Saturdays, and Penn State will be watching closely to see how often that willingness turns into action when the pressure starts to build. [Read more 🡒]