Top Takeaways and Insights From Penn State Football Media Day

Head coach Matt Campbell and the Nittany Lions preview the 2026 season.

Penn State Nittany Lions football coach Matt Campbell answers questions during media day at Holuba Hall in State College. | Mark Wogenrich | Penn State on SI

STATE COLLEGE | Penn State interrupted training camp for football media day Friday, as head coach Matt Campbell, his staff and players previewed the 2026 season. It's a dramatically different Nittany Lions team that still is coming together through camp, though Campbell is beginning to see the pieces align.

What did we learn about Penn State on media day? Some highlights as the Nittany Lions work toward their Sept. 5 opener against Marshall.

Rocco Becht makes a 'huge, huge change'

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht tosses a medicine ball during a relay race at the 23rd annual Lift for Life at Holuba Hall, | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Quarterback Rocco Becht made significant physical strides this summer, position coach Jake Waters said. Following offseason shoulder surgery, Becht worked to become not only more resilient but also stronger in the shoulders and legs.

With a tailored strength and nutrition program, Becht said he gained four pounds of muscle and lost four pounds of bodyfat while maintaining his weight at 208. Waters said the gains have been noticeable in drills, particularly with Becht's footwork.

"This is the best I've seen Rocco Becht's body look since I've been with him," Waters said. "He's lost some body fat and put on lean muscle. It's a huge, huge change for him, and he feels great. He's fast. He feels really good."

Becht said he specifically working on gaining muscle in the upper body, shoulders and legs. While Penn State's quarterbacks don't bench-press, they did go through a very specific upper-body workout routine. Becht, meanwhile, said, "I love leg day."

"After you get injured and get surgery, your body isn't going to look the best," Becht said. "But that also gives you a restart button. I got with the nutrition staff, put together a good diet and continued to put on muscle in areas where I needed it."

Becht also spent some time in Florida training with quarterbacks coach Will Hewlett, who works with the San Francisco 49ers' Brock Purdy, among others. He and Hewlett trained specifically in throwing with more velocity without putting excess strain on Becht's shoulder.

"That was the biggest thing I went down there to work on, and I feel a big difference," Becht said. "These past two days [in camp], it's felt great."

A speedy wide receiver to watch

Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Brett Eskildsen talks to reporters at media day in State College. | Mark Wogenrich | Penn State on SI

The talk of Penn State's second practice of training camp was receiver Brett Eskildsen's one-handed catch against cornerback Audavion Collins on a deep route from Becht. Campbell called Eskildsen and Collins two of the team's fastest players, having seen both record top speeds over "23.5 miles per hour."

Becht called Eskildsen's catch an "amazing one-handed grab in great coverage" that set an early tone for the receivers. And Eskildsen in particular looked like a desperately needed downfield threat.

"[Eskildsen] had some great production as a true freshman on an 11-win team [at Iowa State in 2024]," Campbell said. "Man, he wins us the Cincinnati game with five huge catches, while [Jayden] Higgins and [Jaylin Noel] are getting double-teamed the entire game. He broke onto the scene, and last year you kind of saw him take the next step."

Tight ends as part of Penn State's base offense

Penn State Nittany Lions tight ends Ben Brahmer (left) and Andrew Rappleyea pose for photos during an autograph signing at Beaver Stadium. | Mark Wogenrich | Penn State On SI

Penn State is loaded at tight end, to the point that Campbell considers the position part of his base offense. Ben Brahmer is the highest-ranked transfer of the 40-player class, Andrew Rappleyea is healthy after missing spring drills and Gabe Burkle is ahead of schedule in his rehab from a 2025 ACL tear.

As a result, Campbell plans to use plenty of 12 personnel (or two tight-end formations) this season.

"I think we'd be disappointed if it's not," Campbell said when asked if the 12 personnel would be a primary formation. "You could challenge [that] 13 personnel [could be] the home base at times.

"One of the things that we're really excited about first, obviously, is keeping [Rappleyea] home. It's been great for us to see Rapp fully healthy. I think this is the healthiest Andrew Rappleyea we've
seen or got the ability to evaluate.

"Obviously Ben is a young man we've worked with the last three years. We know what his high-end ability is. We think he's super-talented. Gabe Burkle is on track. ... Cooper Alexander to me is a guy that had an incredible spring and a really great summer, physically looks like a guy that can be a
matchup issue in some different areas. I think that room is certainly healthy at the top end of things."

Watch for linebacker Caleb Bacon on the edge

Iowa State Cyclones linebacker Caleb Bacon pursues Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels during the second half at Jack Trice Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Caleb Bacon, a fifth-year senior linebacker, has been practicing exclusively with the defensive ends early in training camp. Though he'll weave through the positions, Bacon brings a necessary dose of edge experience to a room that needs it.

Though he played middle linebacker at Iowa State, Campbell and Bacon both said that he took about 50 percent of his snaps at the line of scrimmage. With Penn State playing more of a 4-2-5 defensive formation instead of the 3-3-5 Campbell used at Iowa, Bacon's snaps might be limited at linebacker.

But at defensive end, Bacon can deploy the pursuit skills that led him to make 9.5 tackles for loss and three sacks for the Cyclones last year.

"I'm pretty comfortable down there [at the line of scrimmage] and played there a lot more than some people think," Bacon said. "I'm super comfortable with it."

Added Campbell, " We felt like we gave him so many reps at linebacker, we'd be missing the boat not to start him off in fall camp on the edge."

Sign up to our free Penn State Nittany Lions newsletter and follow us on social media.