How Penn State Turned Over Half its Football Roster in the Transfer Portal

The Nittany Lions underwent their largest transformation ever during the January portal window.

Penn State Nittany Lions football coach Matt Campbell speaks at a press conference at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State's football roster underwent a remarkable transformation during the January transfer portal window, which closed Friday after two non-stop weeks. What Penn State coach Matt Campbell did likely represents the biggest roster overhaul in the program's history.

The numbers, though expected, still underscore just how different the Nittany Lions will look in 2026. Penn State announced Friday that it has signed 39 players (so far) from the portal, 23 of whom played for Campbell at Iowa State last season.

Further, Penn State announced 11 early enrolles in the 2026 recruiting class, which Campbell also has significantly upgraded since December. As Penn State catches its breath from the portal, here's a look at the team's new roster.

Penn State's football roster by the numbers

Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Andrew Rappleyea (87) runs with the football against Clemson Tigers cornerback Branden Strozier (1) during the first half of the 2025 Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

• 102: Players currently on Penn State's roster

• 52: Players from Penn State's 2025 roster who remained with the program

• 50: Players who transferred from Penn State after the 2025 season

• 39: Transfers who have signed with Penn State

• 34: Transfers who played at Power 4 programs last season

• 28: Transfers from the Big 12

• 23: Iowa State players transferring to Penn State

• 11: Early enrollees of the 2026 recruiting class

RELATED: How Penn State's outbound transfers are faring in the portal

What to know about Penn State's transfer class

Iowa State Cyclones' quarterback Rocco Becht (3) hands off the ball running back Carson Hansen (26). | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Campbell rebuilt multiple position groups in the transfer portal, notably both lines, receiver and quarterback. Penn State signed seven offensive linemen and seven defensive linemen, though that DL lost 14 players to eligibility and portal departures.

Among the top linemen are Trevor Buhr, a 6-4, 325-pound guard who started 12 games for Iowa State the past two seasons; and Texas State's Brock Riker, a center who earned several nods on freshman All-America Teams.

Siale Taupaki is the most intriguing defensive lineman, an eighth-year player who signed with UCLA in 2019. He played in 12 games, starting one, for the Bruins last season.

Penn State's brand new quarterback room includes not only Rocco Becht, a three-year starter at Iowa State, but also his backup in Alex Manske. At wide receiver, Iowa State's top duo of Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen lead a room with five transfers. Sowell is playing for his fourth team, having transferred from Colorado to East Carolina to Iowa State to Penn State.

RELATED: Evaluating Penn State's transfer class beyond Iowa State

Where else are Penn State's transfers from?

UCLA Bruins defensive lineman Siale Taupaki (92) during the first quarter against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at the Rose Bowl. | Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Campbell scouted not only his own roster but also those of the Big 12. He brought in transfers from Oklahoma State, Utah, West Virginia and Colorado. Meanwhile, former Ohio State running back James Peoples, a 4-star Texas prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, looks for a fresh start at Penn State.

Penn State also signed a pair of defensive tackles from UCLA, with Keanu Williams, a 320-pound redshirt senior, joining Taupaki in State College.

Elsewhere, the Nittany Lions picked up players from Grambling, Texas State, James Madison. Division II Tiffin University and Saint Francis, which is transitioning to Division III.

Growing the recruiting class

Penn State quarterback commit Peyton Falzone of Nazareth (Pa.) High at his Signing Day ceremony with Penn State and Nazareth helmets. | Mark Wogenrich | Penn State on SI

Penn State's 2026 recruiting class had just two signees in December: quarterback Peyton Falzone and defensive end Jackson Ford. They will enroll in January with nine other members of a growing class.

Five of the early enrollees initially signed with Campbell's Iowa State class before flipping to Penn State. Among them is quarterback Kase Evans, who threw 11,640 yards and 120 touchdowns at Lexington (Texas) High. Campbell also pried away 295-pound offensive lineman Mason Bandhauer, whose father Todd played quarterback at Iowa State.

The freshman class also includes a James Madison flip, defensive back Christian Askew, and State College High running back D'Antae Sheffey.

Matt Campbell's view of the portal

Penn State Nittany Lions coach Matt Campbell, left, speaks with Penn State University athletic director Pat Kraft during a press conference at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Campbell will be more of a situational portal coach once he establishes his roster at Penn State, though he'll have more resources than he did at Iowa State. That should help him grow a roster through targeted elite talent rather than volume. Still, Campbell said he intends to remain a developmental coach.

"We have a process," Campbell said. "We know what we're looking for in the transfer portal and have to use that to continue to supplement our football team. Nobody will be better at developing our student-athletes and our high school football players better than us.

"We've proven that every step of the way. I think you can ask Brock Purdy, Breece Hall, David Montgomery, Will McDonald. The flash, the stars, that's cool on signing day. But winning football games on Saturday is what we're going to be about. That's development. We're going to have to be better than anybody in college football."

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