What I Learned From Penn State's First Practice of Training Camp

STATE COLLEGE | It was a bright Wednesday with some clouds scattered across the sky over the Lasch Football Building practice fields. As the sun shone, Penn State football coach Matt Campbell walked around the grass to assess the Nittany Lions, who were conducting their opening practice of training camp.

The practice offered a first look at Penn State since spring drills ended, providing insight into some injury updates and key position battles. Nearly two hours of practice were open to the media, who got a good look at the team’s opening day of drills.

Here’s what we learned from Day 1 of Penn State’s fall camp.

Penn State injury updates

Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Tony Rojas returns to the practice field after missing spring drills. | Will Horstman | Penn State on SI

Penn State appears to officially have a healthy quarterback room, as starter Rocco Becht and potential backup Alex Manske were both participating with no restrictions. It’s the expected news — Becht said he’d have “no limitations” during training camp, and Campbell said Manske had been cleared in early July — but good news nonetheless for the Nittany Lions.

On defense, projected starting safety Jeremiah Cooper wasn’t participating in drills, but was doing some jogging on the sidelines. He was joined by linebacker Alex Tatsch and freshman wide receiver Ben Whitver. Cooper is recovering from a 2025 ACL injury, and Tatsch was injured during Pinstripe Bowl practices.

Tight end Gabe Burkle, who was named to the Mackey Award watch list Wednesday, was present at practice but not participating in drills. He’s also rehabbing from an ACL injury last season.

Campbell said at Big Ten Media Days that Cooper, Tatsch and Burkle all have a “target line” of playing in the season-opener against Marshall on Sept. 5.

Meanwhile, linebacker Tony Rojas, offensive lineman Anthony Donkoh and tight end Andrew Rappleyea were all participating in practice after missing time in the spring. Rojas had a sleeve on his left leg, and Rappleyea had one on his right leg.

Position battles in full swing

A first look at QB Alex Manske, who missed spring ball, handing off to RB James Peoples, now wearing No. 1 pic.twitter.com/qxMfOzxR8X
— Joel Haas (@Joel_Haas1) August 5, 2026

Penn State’s depth chart isn’t solidified yet, with a few starting spots still up for grabs. Most of these position battles will likely run through the majority of fall camp, but Wednesday was a first look at them.

Most notably, the Nittany Lions have some questions to answer at defensive end, where linebacker Caleb Bacon worked instead of his traditional position.

Bacon, who’s listed at 6-4 and 242 pounds, could have some potential to work as a hybrid between linebacker and defensive end, a position group with promising depth pieces but no clear No. 2 starter opposite of senior Ikenna Ezeogu. Campbell hinted at this during Big Ten Media Days, saying that Bacon could play edge as well as linebacker.

At defensive end, Bacon worked with Max Granville, Yvan Kemajou and Alexander McPherson. Granville is notably making his return to practice after a season-ending injury last year, but Kemajou seemed to have the best twitch and bend of this group.

At running back, Carson Hansen took most of the first-team reps while working alongside Becht. However, Quinton Martin Jr. might have been the standout running back of the day, earning plenty of praise from coaches.

Martin had a breakout performance in the Pinstripe Bowl and looked like he’s building on that with consistent and successful reps in power-run drills. He was the biggest winner at running back Wednesday, but with Hansen’s experience and James Peoples’ potential, he could still have work to do to secure the starting spot.

A cool running back/linebacker drill here pic.twitter.com/1nK2PIyBXz
— Joel Haas (@Joel_Haas1) August 5, 2026

On the offensive line, left tackle and center are the two positions to watch during fall camp. Texas State transfer Brock Riker and redshirt senior Dominic Rulli split first-team reps at center, so it appears neither has an upper hand in the battle. Former 5-star recruit Malachi Goodman is the frontrunner for the starting left tackle role, but Garrett Sexton and Owen Aliciene did see some first-team reps as well.

Takeaways from 7-on-7 drills

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

Becht took command of the starting offense in 7-on-7 drills, showcasing his ability to read the field and make correct throws. He had a quality deep throw to the end zone to Chase Sowell, placing the ball where only the receiver could make a play on it, but Sowell dropped it.

Speaking of receivers, Koby Howard made several plays during this session, catching balls all over the field as he lined up in the slot, wide and even in the backfield. He seems to be a versatile piece in the Nittany Lions’ offense.

At backup quarterback, Manske and Connor Barry both spent time with the second team, so Becht’s backup initially is unclear.

Defensively, the first team used a 4-2-5 scheme, featuring Zion Tracy operating at nickelback and Rojas and Kooper Ebel at linebacker. This could explain why Penn State moved Bacon to the defensive end room for position drills.

With Cooper not active in drills, safety Jamison Patton took over his spot in the starting defense. Overall, Rojas looks to be the leader of this unit, and he made a pass deflection on Becht that energized his defensive teammates.

Penn State returns to the practice field for Day 2 of training camp Thursday. The Nittany Lions open the 2026 season Sept. 5 at home vs. Marshall.

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