Penn State Football Freshman Most Likely to Surprise People This Season

Penn State coach Matt Campbell did the bulk of his roster-building work this offseason on retention and in the portal. The Nittany Lions retained 52 players, including some essential starters, from last year's roster, while bringing in 40 transfers from 17 schools. They will form the backbone of Penn State's depth chart this fall.

However, a few true freshmen could rise from the quickly built 2026 class that includes 15 recruits, 10 of whom initially signed with Campbell at Iowa State in December. It's mostly a class that will bide its time on an experienced 2026 Nittany Lions roster, though one player stands out as a potential early contributor. And he's a fascinating story.

Freshman receiver Amarion Jackson began his Penn State career in January as a safety, although he was a standout receiver at Millard South High in Omaha, Nebraska. But since several Penn State receivers, notably projected starters Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen, were limited during winter and spring workouts, Campbell moved Jackson to offense.

The head coach expected that to be a temporary move. But Jackson excelled during winter training, wasn't overwhelmed during spring drills and found himself climbing the depth chart. This past summer, he and fellow receiver Koby Howard arrived at the Lasch Football Building at 5:30 a.m. for workouts with quarterback Rocco Becht, who was impressed.

"That guy's going to be super special," Becht said of Jackson.

Jackson's smooth pivot to offense

SIGNED: ATH Amarion Jackson

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— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) January 16, 2026

Campbell loved recruiting Nebraska while coaching at Iowa State, and Jackson (6-2, 192) was his latest find. The receiver is one of three 2026 recruits from Nebraska (with safety Bryson Williams and linebacker Keian Kaiser) who join Pierce, Nebraska, native Ben Brahmer on the Nittany Lions' roster.

In Jackson, Campbell found a 3-star receiver who played for a Nebraska power at Millard South, which won two state titles in Jackson's four years. As a receiver, Jackson caught an astounding 188 passes for 3,321 yards and 40 career touchdowns, which made it surprising that Campbell would initially start him on defense at Penn State.

But the coach also saw a gifted defender in Jackson, who had Big Ten offers from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Northwestern.

"You just felt like he was a really dynamic athlete and initially was committed to us at wide receiver," Campbell said. "And when he came here, I always felt like this guy has a chance to be a great safety. We kind of started him at safety and then we had some injuries through the winter, and we didn’t know what our depth would be for spring ball.

"We sat down and said, 'Let’s take the first six days of spring ball and evaluate where you’re at, but I’m going to start you at receiver because I think you can get some great reps.' We got to the end of the sixth practice and I said, 'Buddy, I don’t know if you’re going to move back to that safety room. You’re doing a great job.'"

Becoming a player to watch

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Receivers coach Kashif Moore, who took over the position not long after Jackson arrived, said that the freshman absorbed his quick learning curve remarkably well.

"He had to switch positions and learn the offense a little later than the other guys," Moore said, "which makes it even more impressive in terms of his ability to pick up the offense and get out here and make plays."

Though Jackson wasn't a highly ranked recruit in the 2026 class, his spring ascent drew attention nationally. ESPN ranked the receiver 93rd on its list of the top 100 newcomers in college football, calling Jackson "a smooth vertical route runner and picks up ground quickly as a long strider."

Campbell insists that Penn State has turned the corner at receiver, a position group that weighed on the program for three years. The Nittany Lions like the group's core of Sowell, Eskildsen and Howard but need a few young receivers to emerge for depth. Jackson could do more than that, ultimately earning a spot in the receiver rotation.

Who else to watch from Penn State's freshman class? Punter Lucas Tenbrock has the best chance of earning a starting spot, as he'll compete with Mississippi State transfer Nathan Tiyce. Meanwhile, end Jackson Ford and defensive backs Christian Askew and Josiah Zayas could earn roles on special teams.

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