Penn State’s roster overhaul under Matt Campbell is still moving pieces around, and the latest twist is one of the most interesting yet: redshirt junior defensive end Bobby Mears has crossed over to offense.
Mears is now working at tight end and fullback, though he remains listed as a defensive end on the official roster. If he gets on the field this season outside of special teams, it will most likely come on the offensive side. Campbell confirmed the change on Thursday during his media availability in Happy Valley.
“We even moved Bobby Mears from defense over to offense,” Campbell said while praising the depth of his tight end room during his Thursday media availability in Happy Valley. “We thought that was a really good move for us, just to give us some more depth, and even we like to play with a fullback sometimes, and he might have the ability to do that. Collectively, we’re excited about what the group looks like.”
The head coach spent much of that discussion highlighting the players expected to carry the load at tight end: Andrew Rappleyea, Benjamin Brahmer, Gabe Burkle, Cooper Alexander, and Finn Furmanek, the redshirt junior from State College Area High School. Even so, Mears’ name came up as a possible option in the backfield, especially in short-yardage situations.
At 6-foot-3 and 257 pounds, Mears is not being asked to become a centerpiece. He played only 11 snaps across two games last season, against Nevada and Villanova, and even with this move, he may not see a huge workload in 2026. But the shift says plenty about how Campbell and his staff are handling the roster: they’re willing to move players around if it helps the team get more out of what it already has.
Mears isn’t the only player Campbell has repurposed. Caleb Bacon, an Iowa State transfer and former All-Big 12 linebacker, has been moved to defensive end.
That change came early in fall camp and fits the reality of Penn State’s defensive transition from former coordinator Jon Heacock’s 3-3-5, which Campbell used for all 10 seasons in Ames, to D’Anton Lynn’s 4-2-5 scheme. With the linebacker room crowded, Bacon’s move gives him a better path to playing time and helps Lynn put his best 11 on the field.
Campbell also made a longer-range move with 2026 four-star quarterback Peyton Falzone, shifting him into the tight end room. Falzone is listed at 6-foot-5 and 216 pounds, and he brings the kind of athletic upside that can make a position switch worth the gamble. He’ll need strength and polish to develop there, but Campbell clearly sees more potential for him at tight end than at quarterback.
Falzone was never really part of Campbell’s quarterback plan. Like defensive end Jackson Ford, he signed before Campbell arrived.
Then Campbell added Rocco Becht, Alex Manske, and 2026 three-star Kase Evans from Iowa State. Rather than let Falzone sit behind that group and likely head for the transfer portal next offseason, the staff chose a different route and gave him a new home.
That’s the kind of move that can matter down the line. It’s less about plugging one immediate hole and more about testing how far Campbell can go as a developer, especially with the recruiting gap he’ll face against teams like Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan, and Indiana.
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