Penn State’s new-look defense is already forcing a familiar kind of shuffle, and Caleb Bacon is the latest linebacker to feel it.
The Iowa State transfer has spent almost all of fall camp working with the defensive line, a move that echoes the kind of position shift Penn State previously made with Abdul Carter. Bacon, an All-Big 12 honorable mention in 2025, arrived as an outside linebacker in Jon Heacock’s 3-3-5 scheme, but the change in coordinator at Iowa State and the switch to D’Anton Lynn’s 4-2-5 setup at Penn State has pushed him into a different role.
Matt Campbell addressed Bacon’s transition in his first fall camp press conference on Friday, and the message was clear: the move to edge isn’t just a temporary experiment.
“As we got through spring, we kind of felt like we’d be missing the boat not to add his multiplicity. He’s a great edge player. He certainly has the ability to slide back and play MIKE or WILL linebacker at times… We felt like we gave him so many reps in the spring at linebacker we’d be missing the boat not to start him off in fall camp on the edge.”
That flexibility is part of why Bacon is such an interesting fit. At 6-foot-4 and 242 pounds, he’s built like a linebacker who can survive - and maybe thrive - in multiple spots.
He played outside linebacker in Iowa State’s old structure, but that position came with edge-like duties. He logged 124 snaps in the slot last season and another 134 snaps setting the edge on 652 total plays.
His production in those rush situations gives the move some real teeth. Bacon had 110 pass-rush snaps, finished with 16 QB pressures and three sacks, and posted a 10.3% pass-rush win rate.
The number that stands out most came on true pass sets, when he was unleashed as a real rusher: a 22.6% pass-rush win rate on 52 snaps. That ranked No. 2 in the country among linebackers, trailing only Ohio State’s Arvell Reese, and landed inside the top 10 in the Big 12 among players with at least 100 pass-rush snaps, according to PFF.
Penn State has seen this movie before with bigger names. In 2023, Carter finished with a 27.7% pass-rush win rate on true pass sets and 23.2% overall in his final season as a linebacker for the Nittany Lions. Parsons, back in 2019 before his opt-out season in 2020, posted a 27% pass-rush win rate on true pass sets and 20% overall.
Bacon isn’t being asked to become that kind of force. But the shift does help Penn State make room for a player whose skill set is too useful to keep buried in a crowded linebacker room.
That crowd matters here. Tony Rojas and Kooper Ebel are in line for most of the off-ball linebacker snaps, with Alex Tatsch and Cael Brezina also pushing for playing time. With no true third linebacker spot in the base defense, Bacon’s move helps settle that group while keeping him on the field in a role where he can create value.
The edge picture is still a little cloudy. Max Granville, Yvan Kemajou, Ikenna Ezeogu, and Alexander McPherson are expected to be part of the rotation, and Ezeogu is also making the jump to edge after a different role at Iowa State. He played inside as a 6-foot-5, 273-pound defender before arriving in Happy Valley.
For now, Bacon looks like the clearest example of how Penn State’s new defense is sorting out its pieces. The label may change, but the goal is simple: get one of the team’s most versatile defenders onto the field where he can matter fastest.
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Now Martin is right in the middle of a crowded race for the No. 2 running back spot, with Carson Hansen at the top of the depth chart and James Peoples also in the mix. Penn State head coach Matt Campbell has pointed to Martins bright future while also making clear that the room is competitive, which is exactly why this battle is drawing so much attention from fans looking for signs of who might emerge this season. [Read more 🡒]