Projecting Penn State Football's Week 1 Depth Chart: Who's Up, Who's Down?

For Penn State football coach Matt Campbell, the team-building period is over. Campbell now turns to his debut on the Penn State sideline, as the Nittany Lions host Marshall on Sept. 5 at Beaver Stadium.

What will Campbell's first season look like? We toured the schedule for game-by-game predictions and the lineup for a look at the potential MVPs and underrated players. Now it's time to check on the Nittany Lions' depth chart by position and who made the biggest moves during training camp.

Penn State's projected offensive depth chart

Transfers denoted with an asterisk.

Position	First Team	Second Team	Third Team
Quarterback	*Rocco Becht (Sr.)	*Alex Manske (Fr.)	*Connor Barry (Sr.)
Running Back	*Carson Hansen (Sr.)	*James Peoples (Jr.)	Quinton Martin Jr. (So.)
Left Tackle	Malachi Goodman (Fr.)	Owen Aliciene (Fr.)	Garrett Sexton (So.)
Left Guard	*Trevor Buhr (Jr.)	Will Tompkins (Fr.)	*Vaea Ikakoula (Fr.)
Center	*Brock Riker (So.)	Dominic Rulli (Sr.)
Right Guard	Cooper Cousins (Jr.)	Will Tompkins (Fr.)
Right Tackle	Anthony Donkoh (Jr.)	Garrett Sexton (So.)
Tight End	*Ben Brahmer (Sr.)	Andrew Rappleyea (So.)	*Gabe Burkle (Sr.)
Wide Receiver	*Chase Sowell (Sr.)	*Zay Robinson (Fr.)	*Keith Jones Jr. (So.)
Wide Receiver	*Brett Eskildsen (Jr.)	*Karon Brookins (Fr.)	Peter Gonzalez (So.)
Wide Receiver	Koby Howard (So.)	Amarion Jackson (Fr.)

Evaluating Penn State's offensive depth chart

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Carson Hansen (21) runs with the ball during practice at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Becht had a veteran camp and has emerged fitter, stronger and technically better than he was last year. He really could be that swing player who leads Penn State to an unexpected playoff run. Having a healthy backup in Alex Manske, whom Campbell considers his future starting quarterback, lowers the offensive staff's unease. Manske will play during the non-conference schedule.

We're interested to watch how the rotations shake out at receiver and running back. Martin has the most long-term potential in the backfield but currently is behind Hansen and Peoples. Eskildsen is rounding back from a minor training-camp injury, while Sowell pushed through some early inconsistencies to finish strong.

Penn State also had some injury issues at tight end, where Ben Brahmer is the next great one. But offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser has pointed to former walk-on Finn Furmanek as a player who made huge strides during camp. With Burkle working his way back from a 2025 injury, Furmanek will get some snaps.

The biggest puzzle is offensive line. As the chart suggests, there isn't much depth outside the starting five. Campbell has praised Aliciene and Sexton during camp, so there are options at tackle. But line coach Ryan Clanton still is cultivating players behind Buhr and Cousins guard. A key insidel ineman, Iowa State transfer, Vaea Ikakoula, has been hurt.

Penn State's projected defensive depth chart

Transfers denoted with an asterisk.

Position	First Team	Second Team	Third Team
Defensive End	Yvan Kemajou (So.)	*Caleb Bacon (Sr.)	Jackson Ford (Fr.)
Defensive Tackle	*Siale Taupaki (Sr.)	*Armstrong Nnodim (So.)	*Alijah Carnell (So.)
Defensive Tackle	*Keanu Williams (Sr.)	Ty Blanding (Jr.)	*Dallas Vakalahi (Jr.)
Defensive End	*Ikenna Ezeogu (Sr.)	Max Granville (So.)	*Alexander McPherson (So.)
Linebacker	Tony Rojas (Jr.)	Cam Smith (Fr.)	Alex Tatsch (So.)
Linebacker	*Kooper Ebel (Sr.)	*Cael Brezina (Jr.)
Cornerback	Audavion Collins (Sr.)	Ibn McDaniels (So.)
Safety	*Marcus Neal Jr. (Jr.)	*Jamison Patton (Sr.)
Safety	*Jeremiah Cooper (Sr.)	Vaboue Toure (So.)
Cornerback	Daryus Dixson (So.)	Jahmir Joseph (Fr.)
Nickel	Zion Tracy (Sr.)	*Josiah Zayas (Fr.)

Evaluating Penn State's defensive depth chart

Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Audavion Collins (2) runs with the ball during a practice session inside Holuba Hall. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It seems clear that Campbell and defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn will ride mostly with a 4-2-5 base defense, using two linebackers and a nickel cornerback. Zion Tracy fits the latter position perfectly and will roam across the defense, making occasional moves into blitz formations.

Other moves include former Iowa State linebacker Caleb Bacon's shift to defensive end, though he'll play some outside linebacker as well. Bacon lined often at the line of scrimmage for the Cyclones last season, when he made 9.5 tackles for loss.

Ebel and Brezina are a sound pair at middle linebacker, freeing Rojas to be the multi-positional linebacker who Lynn deploys in the pass rush. There's an experience gap behind them, though Campbell highlighted returning linebacker Cam Smith as opening eyes during camp.

The secondary, once it gets healthy, is loaded. Neal and Cooper were such valuable transfers for Campbell. Notably, Neal led Iowa State with 11 tackles for loss last season as a safety. It's still unsure whether Cooper will be ready for the opener, though.

At cornerback, Audavion Collins has been "lights out," according to Campbell, and Zayas, a true freshman, took advantage of extra reps with Dixson and Joseph out to carve a real role in the secondary.

Penn State needs its defensive line to make the biggest gains early. The middle looks set with Taupaki and Williams, who played a combined 11 seasons at UCLA and Oregon and know what Lynn wants from them. Depth there is light, as Nnodim and Vakalahi make their way back from missed camp time.

Outside, Ezeogu and Kemajou look to be the starters at edge, though Granville made a major climb through camp.

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