Projecting Penn State's Week 1 Starting Lineup Before Training Camp Begins

Penn State starts fall camp this week with just over a month until the season-opener against Marshall. Following an offseason of roster turnover, the Nittany Lions will have a new-look starting lineup Sept. 5.

Matt Campbell added 55 new players to his first Penn State roster, including 40 total transfers and 24 former Iowa State players. While some positions have starters set in stone, others have an open competition for the starting gig before the 2026 season begins, and Campbell expects the Nittany Lions to be “fully healthy” for training camp.

So, here’s a look at our Week 1 projected starting lineup on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball ahead of fall camp.

Penn State's projected offensive starters

Transfers indicated with an asterisk.

Position	Player	Year
Quarterback	Rocco Becht*	Senior
Running Back	Carson Hansen*	Senior
Left Tackle	Malachi Goodman	Freshman
Left Guard	Trevor Buhr*	Junior
Center	Brock Riker*	Sophomore
Right Guard	Cooper Cousins	Junior
Right Tackle	Anthony Donkoh	Junior
Tight End	Ben Brahmer*	Senior
Wide Receiver	Chase Sowell*	Senior
Wide Receiver	Brett Eskildsen*	Junior
Wide Receiver	Koby Howard	Sophomore

Penn State offensive notes

Penn State’s Matt Campbell introduces you to Bill Brasky, aka tight end Ben Brahmer. He’s 6-7, runs “almost 22 mph” and competed in 7 events at his state track meet. pic.twitter.com/g2hqmT7yGi
— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) July 29, 2026

Penn State’s starting offense will feature several former Cyclones around quarterback Rocco Becht, who heads into fall camp with “no limitations” on his shoulder injuries.

Who starts next to him at running back could be up in the air, with Carson Hansen, James Peoples and Quinton Martin Jr. all capable of handling that duty. Hansen projects to be the Week 1 starter due to his experience with offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser, but Peoples or Martin could snatch the spot in the games that follow.

On the offensive line, left guard Trevor Buhr, right guard Cooper Cousins and right tackle Anthony Donkoh are locked into their respective positions for Week 1 and beyond. However, left tackle and center are debatable.

Redshirt freshman Malachi Goodman, a former 5-star recruit, is the frontrunner for the left tackle spot, but Campbell still thinks it's an open competition. The head coach pointed out Owen Aliciene and Garrett Sexton as the two other tackles to watch.

Meanwhile at center, Texas State transfer Brock Riker might have the most potential at the position, which should lead to him being the Week 1 starter while Penn State looks to build chemistry on the offensive line. But if Riker runs into some issues while making the jump to the Big Ten, redshirt senior Dominic Rulli would replace him.

Senior Ben Brahmer, a preseason All-American by Phil Steele, will lead the tight end group in 2026, especially with redshirt junior Andrew Rappleyea coming off an injury that held him out of spring ball.

Wide receivers Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen, who combined for over 1,000 yards with Becht last season, will remain as starters. They’ll be joined by sophomore Koby Howard, who drew buzz despite limited playing time last season.

This lineup could change, however, if Penn State wants to get its best 11 players on the field. The Nittany Lions are loaded at tight end, so expect them to use 12-personnel formations often. When that happens, Rappleyea would become a starter alongside Brahmer in the weeks after the season-opener. Still, Campbell is intrigued by the receiver room.

Penn State's projected defensive starters

Player	Position	Year
Defensive End	Ikenna Ezeogu*	Senior
Defensive Tackle	Siale Taupaki*	Senior
Defensive Tackle	Armstrong Nnodim*	Sophomore
Defensive End	Alexander McPherson*	Sophomore
Linebacker	Tony Rojas	Junior
Linebacker	Kooper Ebel*	Senior
Linebacker	Caleb Bacon*	Senior
Cornerback	Audavion Collins	Senior
Safety	Marcus Neal Jr.*	Junior
Safety	Jeremiah Cooper*	Senior
Cornerback	Daryus Dixson	Sophomore

Penn State defensive notes

Penn State LB Tony Rojas details how defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn approaches teaching, installation and play-calling differently than his past coordinators. pic.twitter.com/2GzNnPomqB
— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) July 29, 2026

The defensive line has the most questions on the roster, making it the most fluid position to project before fall camp. End Ikenna Ezeogu and tackle Siale Taupaki look like starters for Week 1 due to their experience, but that could change as the season goes on.

Defensive tackle Armstrong Nnodim figures to secure a starting spot after standing out all offseason as a leader and a player. He’ll have to beat out UCLA transfer Keanu Williams, though, who’s also an experienced player on the roster.

The second defensive end spot is up in the air, with a trio of young players in Alexander McPherson, Yvan Kemajou and Max Granville. McPherson made flashes of his potential during his freshman year at Colorado and was productive during spring practices, which should lead him to start this fall.

But Kemajou also showed potential as a freshman, as did Granville before he endured a season-ending injury last year. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Kemajou or Granville, who’s recovered from that injury, earn a starting role.

Linebacker is much more solidified with returning starter Tony Rojas leading the way. He’s expected to be ready for fall camp, so his ACL tear shouldn’t impact his availability anymore. Caleb Bacon and Kooper Ebel, who were productive with Iowa State last season, will play alongside Rojas.

The starters in the secondary are also basically in place ahead of the 2026 season. The only real change that could happen revolves around the health of safety Jeremiah Cooper, who Campbell said has a “target line” of playing in the season-opener.

Cooper, who’s recovering from an ACL tear this offseason, could be ready to play in the opener, but he might not be prepared for a full workload. That would lead safety Jamison Patton to see more reps, and potentially start, in Week 1, but Cooper will be starting once fully cleared.

Otherwise, expect safety Marcus Neal Jr., cornerback Audavion Collins and cornerback Daryus Dixson to round out the starting lineup every week in the secondary with Zion Tracy operating as the primary slot cornerback. Tracy will eat reps from the linebackers, who might get two on the field for many downs.

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