Penn State’s backfield overhaul is already drawing national notice, and now two of the biggest pieces in that puzzle have landed on the Doak Walker Award Watch List.
Senior Carson Hansen and junior James Peoples were both named Tuesday to the 2026 watch list for the award given annually by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum to the nation’s top running back. The nod underscores the buzz around Penn State’s ground game heading into the first season under head coach Matt Campbell.
Hansen arrives with the more complete résumé. The former Iowa State standout ran for 952 yards and six touchdowns in 2025, then closed the year with five straight 100-yard games.
In 38 career games, including 17 starts, he has piled up 1,771 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns. He has also added 43 catches for 337 yards and two scores through the air, along with seven career multi-touchdown rushing performances and six 100-yard outings.
Peoples brings a different kind of threat: speed and burst. After two seasons at Ohio State, the San Antonio native has 541 career rushing yards and five touchdowns while averaging 4.9 yards per carry.
Last season, he logged 344 yards and three touchdowns on only 61 carries, with notable outings against Grambling, Minnesota, UCLA and Rutgers. He also chipped in 10 receptions and contributed on special teams.
The Doak Walker Award will trim its list to 10 semifinalists in November, then announce three finalists later that month. The winner will be revealed during ESPN’s Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 11.
Penn State, ranked No. 17 in the Coaches Poll and No. 18 in the AP Poll, opens the Matt Campbell era on September 5 against Marshall at 3:30 PM Eastern at Beaver Stadium.
In Other News...
Penn State Is Still Waiting On A Key Tight End Return
Penn States tight end room has had to keep moving without one of its most experienced pieces this spring. Gabe Burkle, a redshirt senior and Iowa State transfer, is expected to be one of the Nittany Lions top options at the position when healthy, but he is still working his way back from the ACL injury that cut into his 2025 season and limited him to nine games.
Even with Burkle sidelined from practice, his influence has not disappeared from the room. He has been helping younger tight ends get comfortable in the offense and sharpen their skills, a useful presence for a group that is still sorting out its depth and development. For Penn State, the timeline on Burkles return remains a meaningful subplot because his availability could shape how quickly the position settles in once the season pressure ramps up. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Faces A Huge Recruiting Test With Elite 2028 Linebacker
Penn State is already laying the groundwork for its 2028 recruiting class, with three commitments in place and contact spreading across several positions. One of the early names worth watching is four-star linebacker Skylar Alston of Raleigh, N.C., a prospect whose profile fits neatly with a program that has long sold itself on developing linebackers as well as anyone in the country. He has already made the rounds on the visit circuit, including an unofficial stop in Happy Valley, and his recruitment is shaping up as the kind of multi-school battle that tends to stretch well beyond the summer.
For Penn State, the challenge is not just getting Alston on campus again, but making the connection feel deeper than a first impression. The Nittany Lions will look to lean on their linebacker tradition as they build this relationship, and a possible fall game-day visit could give them another chance to separate themselves from the pack. For now, though, the race remains crowded, and Penn State still has to prove it can turn early interest into real traction. [Read more 🡒]