Penn State Football Week in Review: The Best of Training Camp, Media Day

Penn State football is back. The Nittany Lions opened fall camp Aug. 5, exactly a month before its 2026 opener against Marshall at Beaver Stadium. Head coach Matt Campbell said he saw growth early from the Nittany Lions, emphasizing the "early" part.

"There's a sense of urgency," Campbell said. "We're putting this together in six months. The urgency it's going to take to truly live to that value system this fall, it's going to take everything we've got from everybody involved."

We covered Penn State's first two practices as well as football media day pretty extensively, so if you missed anything, here's your one-stop shop to catch up.

Penn State practice #1

WATCH: 60 seconds of Matt Campbell’s first day of summer camp as Head Coach of Penn State Football pic.twitter.com/Aznl2biqbU
— Mike Poorman (@PSUPoorman) August 5, 2026

The Nittany Lions began fall camp outside on a nearly perfect day in State College, where linebacker Tony Rojas returned to practice for the first time since tearing an ACL in October. Rojas, who will be a centerpiece of Penn State's defense, is expected back for the opener against Marshall. He looked fit and ready to live up to his own personally high ecpectations.

One intriguing move involved linebacker Caleb Bacon, a pivotal player at the center of Iowa State's defense last year, taking reps exclusively with the defensive ends. It's a wise move for several reasons.

First, Penn State needs experienced defensive ends, and Bacon played about half his snaps last season nearly the line of scrimmage. Second, Bacon is good at disrupting plays behind the line of scrimmage; he made 9.5 tackles for loss for the Cyclones last year.

Penn State practice #2

Quick DL drill from Penn State practice #2 today. Last rep is from No. 1 Ikenna Ezeogu, a 6-5, 275-pound DE with exceptional agility. pic.twitter.com/X8QmfqOx0C
— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) August 6, 2026

The highlight of camp Day 2 was the deep one-handed catch by receiver Brett Eskildsen that fired up the offense. Eskildsen leaped over cornerback Audavion Collins in a duel of the team's two fastest players. Campbell said both have clocked top speeds above 23.5 mph on their wearable tech.

The head coach continues to praise his receivers, who did look good during the second practice. As did tight end Andrew Rappleyea, who looks ready to get into pads after missing spring drills.

Another standout was defensive end Ikenna Ezeogu, No. 1 in the above video. As defensive line coach Ikaika Malloe noted, Ezeogu has exceptional bend for someone who's 6-5, 275. Watch for Ezeogu at multiple positions on Penn State's defensive line.

What we learned at Penn State media day

Practice 3 🎥 pic.twitter.com/KxNHiqWmDb
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) August 9, 2026

The Nittany Lions prefaced practice #3 with their annual media day. Campbell covered a lot of ground during his 30-minute media session, which his staff and players followed.

One of the better interviews was running back James Peoples, who transferred from Ohio State during the offseason. Peoples played two seasons for the Buckeyes before entering the transfer portal, where Campbell made him a priority.

Peoples has been at Penn State for just seven months but made clear that he believes this is a playoff team. And even though the Nittany Lions don't play Ohio State during the regular season, Peoples said the game will happen at some point thereafter.

"I intend to cross paths with those guys," Peoples said.

Penn State best bets of the week

Penn State Nittany Lions players arrive for football media day in Holuba Hall. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

We collected some more of the top sights and notes from Penn State media day.

A core group of Penn State true freshmen already are pushing for playing time.

Campbell brought former Penn State All-America linebacker Michael Mauti onto the football staff recently. The coaching staff loves having him aboard.

Campbell has an account on X but hasn't posted since 2024. Why? "I'm not into branding," he said in an interview.

With camp underway, we compiled this helpful primer recapping Penn State's offseason with looks at where the team improved and where it didn't.

The preseason Coaches Poll was released last week. Penn State landed at No. 17, a proper spot for Campbell's first team.

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