Penn State enters the 2026 season without a single player on Pro Football Focus’ top 50 college football list, but that doesn’t mean the Nittany Lions are short on difference-makers.
The bigger question is which Penn State players can rise into that kind of company by the end of the year, with the season set to open Sept. 5 against Marshall at Beaver Stadium. Experience may be the program’s calling card, but there are still plenty of players on this roster who can shape whether the Nittany Lions are built for a real College Football Playoff push.
Start with Tony Rojas, who stands as Penn State’s most important defensive piece. His return from a 2025 ACL injury looms large, especially after the defense clearly missed him in the immediate aftermath of the injury against UCLA and Northwestern.
Strength coach Reid Kagy recently offered a positive update nine months into the recovery, and Rojas should be in the lineup against Marshall. Penn State doesn’t have another defender with his mix of lateral quickness, power tackling, blitz feel and three-down value, and defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn needs him operating at full speed.
The offense, meanwhile, may revolve around quarterback Rocco Becht, who is both Penn State’s most important player and one of its best. He’s the starter, and he also anchors the least experienced position group on the roster.
If he goes down, the whole operation changes. Becht has already shown he can win big games, most notably during Iowa State’s run to the 2025 Big 12 title game.
He brings quick decision-making, a fast release and a 6-1, 209-pound frame that gives him a physical edge at the position. He’ll take on linebackers with the same confidence he shows when throwing over them.
Matt Campbell needed to bring Becht with him to Penn State for Year 1.
Penn State also has a potentially dangerous weapon in tight end Gabe Brahmer. With several tight ends sidelined during spring drills, his presence stood out.
At 6-7, he gives Becht a big target and gives the offense a player who can matter in more than one way. Brahmer already has Becht’s trust, and in the Big Ten, that kind of tight end can become a centerpiece.
He has the tools to be a 60-catch option and the size to help as a blocking tight end who shapes the passing game. Tight end is Penn State’s strongest offensive position group, and Brahmer sits at the top of it.
There’s also a versatile piece in Jordan Tracy, someone Campbell has already called one of the best football players he has coached. Tracy gives Lynn flexibility all over the field and won’t look like a traditional starter at one spot because he can move around so much.
He has seven career TFLs, two interceptions - including a 2024 pick-6 against Ohio State - and a forced fumble. He can also help on special teams in multiple phases.
Another player who could be especially important, even though Penn State fans haven’t seen him yet, is A.J. Cooper.
Like Rojas, he missed spring drills while rehabbing a 2025 ACL tear, and the two bonded through that process. Cooper arrives with serious credentials after being named all-Big 12 twice at Iowa State.
He can line up at cornerback or safety, and he made eight interceptions for the Cyclones, including five in 2023, while ranking among the conference leaders in passes defended. He’s also Penn State’s highest-rated player in EA Sports’ College Football 27 in overall ranking, speed and agility.
Penn State’s transfer haul includes another receiver with a chance to matter quickly in Chase Sowell. His path has already taken him from being cut by Deion Sanders at Colorado to a reset at East Carolina and then a breakout last season under Campbell at Iowa State. He missed spring drills at Penn State, but he comes in as a fifth-year senior with the kind of resilience and speed that could make him a WR1 for Becht.
Defensively, linebacker Carson Bacon is another story Penn State fans should appreciate. He walked on at Iowa State and turned that into all-Big 12 recognition, finishing last season as the team’s No. 2 producer of TFLs with 9.5. Bacon has the physical tools to match his instincts, and alongside Rojas he gives Penn State a strong middle.
Safety Zakee Wheatley could also force his way into the conversation with another strong season and a possible climb up 2027 NFL Draft boards, maybe even into the first round. Penn State’s safety group looks solid with Wheatley, Cooper and Jamison Patton, another Iowa State transfer.
Wheatley’s best trait is what he does behind the line of scrimmage, where he thrives as a blitzer. He had 11 TFLs last season and should be part of the same pressure packages with Rojas and Tracy.
Up front, right tackle Anthony Donkoh stands out as Penn State’s best starter on the offensive line and the most experienced returning offensive player on the roster. A two-year starter at guard and tackle, he returns to the spot where he feels most comfortable. Donkoh gives the line stability on the right side while the left side sorts through its own newness, and he may also be the strongest lineman on the team, which means Penn State will want to lean on him in the run game.
In the secondary, Penn State kept two promising young corners in Daryus Dixson and Jahmir Joseph, while also bringing back veteran A.J. Collins.
The redshirt senior, who started his career at Mississippi State, started all 13 games last season and gives the defense another reliable presence. He may not have Dixson’s pure athletic upside, but he is a steady cover corner who tackles well and is set to handle the lockdown role.
Finally, there’s kicker Ryan Barker, whose return solves a major problem before it ever becomes one. Campbell brought him back after Barker became a popular non-portal retention, and the move was about avoiding headaches at a critical spot.
Barker tied for the FBS lead in field-goal percentage at 94.7 percent last season and set a Penn State single-season record. He still needs to add more range, but he comes back as one of the most dependable kickers in college football.
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