3 Major Questions Facing Penn State Football's Roster This Summer

The Nittany Lions have some lingering concerns leftover from spring practice.

Penn State Nittany Lions football coach Matt Campbell answers questions from the media following the Blue-White spring game at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State has begun the countdown to Sept. 5, when the Nittany Lions host Marshall for the first game of the Matt Campbell era. The 100-day clock started May 28, fast-tracking Penn State toward the 2026 season, ready or not.

Are the Nittany Lions ready? They went through a "very chaotic" two months just to get to spring practice, which Campbell evaluated positively yet with some concerns. That seems to be his default mode. Campbell is a coach who bakes failure into his preparation model and grades his teams on their ability to emerge from it. He calls it "the storm."

Penn State could be considered a playoff contender three months out, but a College Football Playoff bid will emerge from the details. And the Nittany Lions still have these details to address.

How will Iowa State's offense perform in the Big Ten?

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht throws a pass during the Blue-White Spring game at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Campbell brought 24 former Cyclones with him from Iowa State, many for their final seasons of college football. That senior list includes quarterback Rocco Becht, running back Carson Hansen and receiver Chase Sowell.

The group is valuable because it has played together under offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser, who Campbell called the most fearless playcaller he has seen. Mouser isn't above a trick play, though he has a clear offensive identity that returning lineman Cooper Cousins defined so strongly.

"Where this team's DNA is going to be is focusing on the fundamentals and being dominant, nasty and accountable," Cousins said. "We’re going to run the ball and keep running it until you stop us, and then we’re going to take our shot. And when we take our shots, we’re going to capitalize. I’d say that’s our identitry right now."

Still, Iowa State's offense finished 41st in ESPN's College Football Power Index offensive efficiency ratings last year, 14 spots behind Penn State's. Mouser will make changes in the Big Ten, but this remains essentially Iowa State's 2025 offense in a different uniform.

There's a lot to like about the offense, particularly with Becht leading it. Yet the Nittany Lions face a climb to match some of the Big Ten's leading offenses.

How much of a question are the receivers?

Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Koby Howard runs with the ball vs. the Clemson Tigers in the 2025 Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Kashif Moore was settling into his new job at Colorado State in February when Mouser cold-called. Penn State already had lost its receivers coach, Mouser received a recommendation about Moore, and would he like to interview? By Valentine's Day, Moore was on Campbell's staff.

Moore, who coached at UConn with Jim Mora in 2025, knew little about the situation into which he entered. How, for instance, Penn State had two receivers drafted in the past six years. Or that Penn State's trio of transfer receivers last year averaged a combined 103 yards per game.

"I have full confidence in my ability to coach and develop, and this is nothing new to me," Moore said. "This is also a narrative that I walked into when I got to UConn, so I'm excited about the challenge."

The narrative shouldn't necessarily follow Campbell and Mouser, who coaxed 1,000-yard receiving seasons from Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel in 2024 (both are with the Houston Texans now). Nor should it follow Moore, who coached Sykler Bell to a 1,278-yard season at UConn and a fourth-round pick by the Buffalo Bills.

But it will nonetheless, even if Campbell brought his top two receivers from Iowa State in Sowell and Brett Esklidsen. It didn't help that neither practiced much this spring and will need aggressive rep recovery in training camp. Penn State's two veteran receivers still are playing catchup.

Sophomore Koby Howard wants to be a go-to receiver downfield and has that window. He averaged 19 yards per his seven receptions last season. Elsewhere, Penn State's receivers are either young or inexperienced, to the point that Campbell said freshman safety-turned-receiver Amarion Jackson was a spring star.

Campbell and his staff must understand and forgive the scars Penn State fans carry about the receiver position's recent history. And they face a long road to winning them back.

How healthy is the roster?

Penn State Nittany Lions coach Matt Campbell (center) flanked by linebackers Alex Tatsch (25) and Tony Rojas (13) at practice at Holuba Hall. | Mark Wogenrich | Penn State On SI

Speaking of missed practice time, a lot of that went around this spring. During one open practice, linebackers Tony Rojas and Alex Tatsch, both returning from 2025 injuries, lined with Campbell in the end zone, taking mental reps during a punt drill. Seems like a lot of players took mental reps.

During this vital first set of 15 practices, more than 30 Nittany Lions were sidelined or out completely. That included two quarterbacks in Becht and Alex Manske, a redshirt freshman who missed spring drills for the second straight year.

Projected starting right tackle Anthony Donkoh was out. Tight ends Andrew Rappleyea and Gabe Burkle missed the spring. Returning center Dom Rulli was out.

Defensively, edge rusher Max Granville missed spring drills with a separate issue from the one that sidelined him last season. Multiple tackles were limited, notably UCLA transfers Siale Taupaki and Keanu Williams. Safety Jamison Patton was out. Even Campbell acknowledged that the situation wasn't ideal.

"We had a lot of injuries, and a lot of guys didn't practice this spring," Campbell said. "So what does the summer look like? Do we gain real momentum? I think this is a team that, to reach its full potential, it's going to have to be able to be its best. And sometimes being your best is being lucky with the injuries."

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