Kooper Ebel has yet to take a regular-season snap at Beaver Stadium, but Penn State already has him doing one of the most critical jobs on the defense: setting the tone.
The Iowa State transfer arrives in State College with real mileage behind him - 34 career games, 27 starts and 149 career tackles - and that experience is part of why Penn State is leaning on him so quickly. But his value goes well beyond the stat sheet. Around the program, Ebel is being talked about as the guy who keeps the defense connected, especially when the picture gets messy.
Tony Rojas has seen it firsthand.
“I think he’s very vocal,” Rojas said. “He’s one of our vocal leaders on the defense and as a team.”
That voice matters most when the unit needs a reset.
“Whenever we have a bad practice or a bad play, he’ll be one of the first guys to speak up and try to hold everyone accountable as a team and as a defense,” Rojas said.
Penn State’s defense is moving into the Matt Campbell era, and that transition gives Ebel’s background some real weight. He played for Campbell at Iowa State, so the language, the standards and the expectations are already familiar. Now he’s helping carry those ideas over and communicate them to a new locker room.
The biggest sign of trust? The green dot. Ebel has been handed the defensive communication role, the one that puts him in charge of receiving the calls and helping organize the unit before the snap.
“He’s done a great job with the green dot,” Rojas said. “He’s someone we can rely on, and when moments come, whether they’re good or bad, he’s going to be there and be vocal.”
Penn State isn’t just getting leadership. The production says there’s plenty of linebacker there too.
Last season at Iowa State, Ebel played 664 defensive snaps and finished with 77 tackles, including eight tackles for loss, one sack and three pass breakups. Pro Football Focus credited him with 53 tackles while also charting 16 missed tackles, and his overall defensive grade jumped to 64.1 after sitting at 51.9 in 2024.
His work against the run took a clear step forward as well. That grade climbed from 51.3 in 2024 to 65.1 last season.
The profile points to a player who can do damage in the middle of Penn State’s defense. Ebel had 39 defensive stops last season, according to PFF, up from 24 the year before. His tackling grade still leaves room to clean things up, but the trajectory is obvious: he made a meaningful leap in his final year at Iowa State.
That should fit neatly alongside Rojas, who brings his own playmaking to the linebacker room.
“I think he’s done a great job, and I’m blessed to be partnered with him,” Rojas said.
For all the experience Ebel brings, Beaver Stadium is still new territory. On the Matt Campbell Coaches Show, he said he was getting chills just talking about the chance to run out and play in front of Penn State fans for the first time.
That’s the twist here: Penn State is asking a newcomer to provide one of the oldest, most valuable traits on a defense - dependability.
He’s already logged more than 1,400 career defensive snaps across three college seasons. He’s started 27 games. And now he’s the one handling the communication for Penn State’s defense before the ball is even snapped.
Before he’s played in front of a full Beaver Stadium crowd, his teammates are already following his lead.
In Other News...
Rocco Becht's Penn State Debut Raised One Very Real Question
Rocco Bechts first game in a Penn State uniform was the kind of debut that can change the mood around a quarterback room in a hurry. Against Marshall, he completed 13 of 18 passes for 271 yards and four touchdowns, spreading the ball around with four different scoring throws and giving the offense the sort of easy rhythm coaches dream about when a new starter takes over.
Matt Campbells decision to go to backup Alex Manske after Penn State had already built a 31-0 lead only added to the conversation. Becht looked sharp, efficient and very much in command, and the performance left one very real question hanging over the program now: how long does Penn State keep leaning into the backup plan when the debut looked this ready? [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Fans Are Already Judging One Big Matt Campbell Change
Matt Campbells first game as Penn States head coach drew plenty of attention beyond the usual season-opening buzz, because it gave fans their first real look at what the program might look like under his watch. After taking over in December as the 17th head coach in school history, Campbell arrived with the kind of reputation that tends to stir big expectations in Happy Valley, and plenty of people in the stands against Marshall were eager to see whether the program would feel different right away.
What stood out most was the reaction in the stadium, where many fans seemed to buy into the idea that Penn State was leaning back toward tradition and toughness. The hope around the program was obvious, even if the range of expectations was wide, with some already projecting a strong season and others treating this as the beginning of a longer transition. Either way, the first impression mattered, and it was clear plenty of eyes were on how Campbells version of Penn State would handle the early weeks. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States Defense Already Has A Freshman Forcing Big Decisions
A true freshman has already worked his way into Penn States defensive plans, and Josiah Zayas made his case quickly enough to earn a starting spot before taking the field against Marshall. For a secondary that values reliability and flexibility, that kind of early rise matters, especially when a young defender is showing he can handle more than one job on the back end.
Matt Campbell has pointed to Zayas versatility and the way he has made impactful plays in practice, and the early returns carried over into game action. He showed up around the line of scrimmage with tackles for loss and held up in coverage well enough to earn more trust, even with a few minor mistakes mixed in. For Penn State, the bigger question now is how much responsibility a freshman can absorb as the games get tougher. [Read more 🡒]