What We Know About Penn State Ahead of a Pinstripe Bowl Date With Clemson

The Nittany Lions are negotiating two coaching staffs, the transfer portal and a late recruiting push as the season ends.

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer throws a pass during the third quarter against the Indiana Hoosiers at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State's parallel coaching staffs largely go their separate ways this weekend, after the Nittany Lions meet Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl. The past few weeks have been a tangle in State College, where Terry Smith has coached one team while Matt Campbell was building another another. How those forces blended will determine how Penn State plays Saturday at Yankee Stadium.

Penn State football has undergone rapid change over the past week, which requires some catch-up before the bowl game. Let's take the Nittany Lions' temperature before the Pinstripe Bowl and what follows.

What will Penn State's offense look like in the Pinstripe Bowl?

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Cam Wallace runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the Nevada Wolf Pack at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

What do we really know about what to expect from Penn State on Saturday? The Nittany Lions won't truly give away their entire roster plan until pregame, but here's a glimpse at what to expect.

Offensively, this will be a dramatically different team. Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer will lead a group whose offensive line could see as many as three new starters — or at least three new snap-count leaders. Left guard Vega Ioane is out, while tackle Drew Shelton and center Nick Dawkins, both seniors, have yet to make their bowl plans official.

Penn State's offensive line (particuarly the trio of Shelton, Ioane and Dawkins) subbed very little. Anthony Donkoh and Nolan Rucci dominated the right side, while Cooper Cousins and TJ Shanahan Jr. rotated in, but that's the extent of the line's usage. If the senior linemen step back, Penn State's front will be quite inexperienced.

So will the backfield. The last running back beyond Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton to carry the ball was Cam Wallace vs. Villanova in Week 3. Wallace and Corey Smith combined for 11 carries, while Quinton Martin Jr. did not record a rushing stat.

Since Allen and Singleton shouldn't see many snaps, that inexperienced line will block for a raw backfield. Unless, of course, Allen follows Saquon Barkley's lead in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl and rush for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Of course, Clemson's defense confronts missing starters as well, so there might be opportunity for Penn State's run game after all.

RELATED: What does Penn State have left? Peach Bowl predictions

Could this be a Peach Bowl defensive repeat?

Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik passes on the run against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

in 2023, then-Penn State coach James Franklin said that "moving parts" conspired against the Nittany Lions in a 38-25 loss to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl. Saturday's game could look similar from a defensive perspective for the Nittany Lions.

In that game, Penn State played without its top two cornerbacks, and two other defensive starters didn't play in the second half. The Nittany Lions also had an interim defensive coordinator in Anthony Poindexter, who will serve that role again Saturday in New York.

On Saturday, the Nittany Lions will be without two starters on their defensive line (tackle Zane Durant and end Zuriah Fisher) and two starters in the secondary (safety Zakee Wheatley and cornerback AJ Harris). Others to watch for their availability status include linebacker Amare Campbell, end Dani Dennis-Sutton and tacke Alonzo Ford Jr.

Clemson's offense won't resemble that of Ole Miss, which got 394 yards passing from quarterback Jaxson Dart. However, Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik, who threw for 268 yards in a win over South Carolina, is looking for a big finish.

RELATED: Young Nittany Lions to watch in the Peach Bowl

A Penn State transfer portal update

Thank you AMES pic.twitter.com/xgZk0VaYoL

— Benjamin Brahmer (@BenjaminBrahmer) December 24, 2025

The departures have been relatively quiet thus far, with eight Nittany Lions announcing their intent to enter the portal. The most important of those include Harris, a two-year starter, and freshman defensive end Chaz Coleman. In fact, 247 Sports ranks Coleman as the No. 1 player in the portal thus far. Pretty surprising, since Coleman played in nine games for Penn State.

Meanwhile, Iowa State's portal class is up to 22 players, many of whom are on Penn State watch. Most notable is quarterback Rocco Becht, a three-year starter with the Cyclones who would be a natural fit at Penn State. Another key player to watch is tight end Benjamin Braher, who caught 37 passes from Becht this season.

Matt Campbell continues recruiting from Iowa State

Blessed to announce that after a great conversation with @CoachMC_PSU and @DerekHoodjer, I have received an offer and have officially committed to Penn State!
🔵⚪️ #WeAre #PennState pic.twitter.com/Vu9Qklb3BX

— keian kaiser (@keiank09) December 24, 2025

Campbell and his staff largely have kept their distance from bowl prep, focusing instead on staff- and roster-building. Iowa State has been a big part of that.

Penn State's two-player recruiting class on Signing Day has grown to nine, courtesy of Iowa State's 2026 recruiting class. Campbell has received commitments from seven Cyclones signees, including three just before Christmas.

Keian Kaiser, a 3-star linebacker from Nebraska, is among the most intriguing. The 6-4, 215-pound Kaiser signed with Iowa State out of Sidney High in Nebraska, where he he was a top-100 linebacker nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite. Keiser made 352 career tackles and five interceptions at Sidney, which he helped to three straight playoff appearances. He also caught 59 career passes for 862 yards.

Campbell's work to rebuild Penn State's recruiting class also landed him commitments from 3-star offensive lineman Mason Bandhauer, whose father Todd played quarterback at Iowa State; and 3-star tackle Pete Eglitis, who helped Bishop Watterson in Columbus to its second straight Ohio state championship.

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