Penn State’s transfer class is not just deep - it’s built to play right away.
That’s the big shift in Matt Campbell’s first season in charge. James Franklin used transfers with a lighter touch, bringing in players to patch specific holes.
Campbell has gone full throttle. Since taking over in early December, he has added 40 transfers from 17 schools, and 24 of them played for him at Iowa State last season.
The result is a roster that could look very different from the one Penn State opened with a year ago. The projected preseason depth charts show 15 possible transfer starters, split evenly enough to reshape both sides of the ball. Eight of those projected starters are on defense, seven on offense, and that number could grow once camp starts sorting things out.
The offense may end up carrying the strongest Iowa State imprint. As many as six former Cyclones could start the Sept. 5 opener against Marshall, and quarterback Rocco Becht is already locked in after announcing his transfer. But the real story is the group around him.
At tight end, Ben Brahmer stands out as the most electric offensive player on the roster, transfer or otherwise. Campbell did not hold back on the 6-7 senior, saying he runs "almost 22 mph" and competed in seven events at his state track meet in Nebraska. If Brahmer comes anywhere close to that kind of billing, he’ll be in the all-America conversation.
Campbell was just as bullish on another former Iowa State tight end, Gabe Burkle. Burkle is working back from a 2025 ACL tear, but Campbell called him the "best blocking tight end" in the country before the injury. Add in returning tight end Andrew Rappleyea, and Penn State suddenly has one of the Big Ten’s strongest tight end groups.
The receiver room also has a heavy transfer footprint. Chase Sowell, a fifth-year senior, brings one of the most unusual backstories on the offense after dealing with multiple injuries dating back to high school, getting cut by Deion Sanders at Colorado as a freshman and spending two years at East Carolina before arriving here.
Sowell and Brett Eskildsen were Iowa State’s top receivers last season, and Campbell has plenty of confidence in Eskildsen, a 6-1 junior from Texas who ranks among the fastest players on the team. Add former Cyclones Zay Robinson and Karon Brookins, and Campbell believes the room is moving in the right direction.
The backfield is also set up to lean on transfers. Carson Hansen, Iowa State’s leading rusher last season, is the likely starter against Marshall.
James Peoples, who spent two years at Ohio State, should push him hard once Big Ten play begins. Their skill sets complement each other, and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser plans to use them creatively.
Penn State also turned to the portal to fix the line. Trevor Buhr, a fourth-year Iowa State transfer who logged plenty of snaps over the past two seasons, is lined up to replace Vega Ioane at left guard. At center, the Nittany Lions brought in Brock Riker, a freshman All-American at Texas State last season and one of offensive line coach Ryan Clanton’s top offseason additions.
Even the backup quarterback job could belong to a transfer. Redshirt freshman Alex Manske, the highest-rated recruit in Iowa State’s 2025 recruiting class, is in the mix for QB2 after recently being cleared to practice following an offseason medical condition.
On defense, D’Anton Lynn is essentially starting over everywhere except cornerback. Up to eight new defensive starters could come from the portal, and the secondary may be the first place that shows up. Returning corners Audavion Collins and Daryus Dixson are in place, and if the transfer additions click, Penn State could actually improve there.
Jeremiah Cooper is the biggest name fans haven’t seen yet. The two-time all-Big 12 safety is coming off a 2025 ACL tear, and Campbell said he will be eased back into practice and the lineup, though he could be ready for the opener. With Marcus Neal Jr. beside him - and the early first-round draft hype that comes with Neal - Penn State could have a dangerous safety pairing.
Campbell also brought over a linebacker group he clearly trusts. Caleb Bacon, Kooper Ebel and Cael Brezina combined for 174 tackles last season, with Ebel and Bacon accounting for 17.5 tackles for loss. Together with Tony Rojas, they form the middle of the defense.
The biggest overhaul may come up front. Campbell and Lynn rebuilt the defensive tackle room with five new players who are 319 pounds or bigger. Armstrong Nnodim, a redshirt sophomore from Oklahoma State, is the breakout name to watch and has quickly become a program "glue guy."
Two more veterans from UCLA, Siale Taupaki and Keanu Williams, already know what Lynn wants from his interior linemen. On the edge, returners Max Granville and Yvan Kemajou will compete with transfers Ikenna Ezeogu from Iowa State and Alexander McPherson from Colorado.
Ezeogu is the most physically imposing of that group. The redshirt senior is 6-5, 275 pounds, has played both inside and outside, and at Penn State he’ll work mostly off the edge. That makes him the team’s biggest pass-rushing presence before the season even begins.
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