The Penn State Football Report Card for Spring Practice

The Nittany Lions made strides this spring but didn't answer every question.

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Connor Barry lines up in the backfield during the Blue-White Spring Practice at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Matt Campbell oddly appreciated the rain that drenched Penn State's entire 15th practice of spring drills. Though the weather kept fans from attending the end-of-spring ritual at Beaver Stadium, Campbell got a look at his team in uncomfortable conditions that he used as a metaphor for the future.

"The end piece of it is probably most important," Campbell said after practice, still soaked from the downpour. "The storm's coming. We're going to have adversity. Are we as close-knit, tight-knit of a football team that, when the tough days come, we can fight through [being] down 14? We can fight through adversity, a bad quarter, a bad half? All of that stuff's coming, right?"

Because it is, an early set of grades offers some insight into how much, and what kind of, progress Penn State made this spring. Campbell evaluated spring drills positively. Here's our spring report card.

Penn State Offense: B+

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Bechtlooks to throw a pass on the run during the Penn State Blue-White Spring game at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Even after just four months on campus, quarterback Rocco Becht looks and sounds like Penn State's leader. That's expected but nonetheless important from a fifth-year senior entering his fourth season as a starter.

Just as important, Becht appeared to be on the trail's end of his rehab from offseason surgery. The quarterback moved well, threw even better and had command of the offense. Becht intuitively knows Taylor Mouser's pro-style offense, to which the coordinator added some language and formation tweaks during spring. By all accounts, Becht had a terrific spring, one with more substantial on-field input than the coaches initially expected.

Which is good, because Penn State has a dilemma behind him. Connor Barry, the Division III transfer, won raves but threw inconsistently (albeit in the rain) during the final practice. Projected backup Alex Manske missed spring drills for the second straight season, and behind him were two true freshmen drinking through a firehose. Right now, Penn State has one reliable quarterback.

Offensive players on the rise included running back James Peoples, the Ohio State transfer whose compact frame hides his speed, and receiver Koby Howard, who made similar waves last spring as a freshman. Tight end Ben Brahmer is a low-key star in the making and sat next to fellow tight end Andrew Rappleyea during an autograph signing after practice. Rappleyea was in good spirits despite missing spring drills.

Up front, Penn State looks set inside with work to make up at tackle. Anthony Donkoh, returning to the right tackle spot he played in 2024, didn't practice this spring and will need some time to catch up. And is redshirt freshman Malachi Goodman ready to replace Drew Shelton at left tackle?

Penn State Defense: C

Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Xxavier Thomas (12) pressures quarterback Kase Evans (12) during the Blue-White Spring Practice at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

In theory, there's a lot to like here. D'Anton Lynn brings a refreshed approach to Penn State's defense, one that will feature bigger defensive tackles and take advantage of the team's secondary standouts in safety Marcus Neal Jr. and cornerback Zion Tracy.

Trouble is, Penn State is installing a defense new to the program and to Campbell, who ran a 3-3-5 formation at Iowa State. That takes time, which Lynn acknowledged during spring.

Further, a lot of key defensive players were out or limited. Up front, former UCLA tackles Siale Taupaki and Keanu Williams took limited reps. Defensive end Max Granville sounded positive about his healthy return, but a back tweak sidelined him this spring.

Linebackers Tony Rojas and Alex Tatsch didn't do much, and neither did safety Jeremiah Cooper. Sure, young players got reps, but that didn't help the veterans in a new defense. It was reassuring to see Rojas and Tatsch in walkthroughs, but Penn State's defense is going to have a busy training camp.

Penn State Special Teams: B

Penn State Nittany Lions punter Nathan Tiyce punts the ball during the Penn State Blue-White Spring game at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Campbell made his two biggest special teams moves during the offseason when he retained coordinator Justin Lustig and kicker Ryan Barker. Lustig guided the nation's most efficient special teams group last season, according to ESPN's College Football Power Index. And Barker's 94.7-percent success rate on field goals tied for the top spot in the FBS last season.

Barker worked on adding length this spring, which is essential. Meanwhile, Penn State introduced new punter Nathan Tiyce, an Australian who transferred from Mississippi State, where he averaged 39 yards on 12 attemps. Lustig is working on distance there, too.

The returners look solid, particularly if Howard gets a chance to break a few on punts.

Overall: B

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Matt Campbell looks on from the field during the Penn State Blue-White Spring game at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Campbell did most of his heavy lifting during the winter, racing to build the roster and install a culture before spring. By all accounts, he was quite successful at that. But spring required a slower pace, which Campbell called essential to teaching new concepts, formations and plays.

Penn State had to be deliberate this spring with 51 new players on its roster (four freshmen enroll this summer). The team also was missing more than 30 players in some form, so spring ultimately felt incomplete. Still, Penn State hade a successful spring for what it was: the first football building block of a very new team.

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