What We're Hearing 2 Weeks Into Penn State Football Spring Practice

The Nittany Lions will unveil their new roster to fans April 25 at Beaver Stadium.

Penn State Nittany Lions offensive linesman Malachi Goodman (78) lines up during a warmup prior to the game against the Villanova Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State mixed its third weekend of spring practice with another important collection of recruiting visits, as Matt Campbell builds both his 2026 team and 2027 recruiting class. The Nittany are juggling plenty in April, but some storylines are emerging. 

Here’s a look at some of the most interesting stories coming out of spring practice.

A recruiting class starts taking shape

Penn State Nittany Lions football coach Matt Campbell waves to the crowd during a Big Ten wrestling dual meet against Nebraska. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Penn State jumped headfirst into the 2027 recruiting class, picking up five commitments in a week, including two Saturday. An intriguing prospect is 4-star receiver Landon Blum, the top-ranked player in Iowa, according to the 247Sports Composite. Blum recently received offers from Ole Miss, Duke and Auburn before committing to Campbell.

Assistant head coach Terry Smith helped Penn State pull its first three commitments, all defensive backs, of the 2027 class. That’s to be expected, since Smith is Penn State’s most experienced, and successful, returning recruiter.

This weekend, Penn State hoped to expand its reach by inviting more than a dozen prospects to campus for a spring visit. Among them is Khalil Taylor, the 4-star receiver from Pine-Richland High near Pittsburgh who initially committed to Penn State in 2025 before decommitting after James Franklin was fired.

Dinkins maintains a strong relationship with Smith, and getting him to re-commit would be a strong signal from Campbell. The Penn State head coach acknowledged that his team is playing “catch-up” with the 2027 class but remains committed to his plan of vetting players carefully.

“It’s all about the human beings that we bring in here,” Campbell said. “And so I'm a huge person in relationships. who fits Penn State, who fits our culture. And so we're going to do it slow and right. And we're going to make sure any young man that we try to bring in here is the right fit for our football program.”

Could a redshirt freshman start at left tackle?

Penn State Nittany Lions offensive linesman Malachi Goodman (78) lines up during a pregame warmup before the game against the Villanova Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Malachi Goodman was the highest-rated prospect in Penn State’s 2026 recruiting class but didn’t play an offensive snap last season. Now, he has a chance to start at left tackle as a redshirt freshman.

Goodman, a 5-star lineman from Paramus Catholic, has been getting significant reps at the position through the first part of drills. Campbell and offensive line coach Ryan Clanton said Goodman (6-6, 331 pounds) has proven to be a showcase athlete who is learning their system of line play quickly.

Clanton also said that Goodman has tuned into his strategy for playing the position. Clanton wants “violent” offensive linemen, which Goodman proved to be when he punched Clanton in the chest (inadvertently) during a drill  

“He can glide,” Clanton said of Goodman. “He’s long, he’s aggressive and he’s smart. He does a good job of retaining information. Put him out there on the field, and he plays confident. You forget how young he is sometimes. He’s done a great job transforming his body. He’s 330 pounds and lowered his body fat.”

An interesting perspective on Penn State’s line

Penn State OL coach Ryan Clanton is a blast.

Here he describes the difference between being a “human shield” and a “hammer” and what it felt like to get punched in the chest by OT Malachi Goodman. pic.twitter.com/cgPnLFAax3

— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) March 26, 2026

Goodman is among 10 Penn State offensive linemen who returned, albeit with some tendencies Clanton wanted to eliminate. He called them “old habits” that Penn State is trying to break this spring, including not running through contact.

“There’s specific O-line techniques that are different per scheme. It’s not right or wrong, it’s just the way we do it,” Clanton said. “... Luckily, even just two days in, we were past the assignment phase and getting into body mechanics on how to be a strong, violent football player, and that’s the key for offensive linemen young and old. And credit to the old guys here. They’ve been able to almost forget what they already know and learn something new. That’s always been a challenge on a new OL coach.”

Penn State is stacked at cornerback

Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Daryus Dixson (5) breaks up a pass intended for Clemson Tigers wide receiver Tristan Smith during the 2025 Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

When Smith announced his return to Penn State, his cornerbacks followed, so it’s no surprise that the position might be Penn State’s best this spring. Smith retained four key players from last year’s group: redshirt senior Audavion Collins, senior Zion Tracy, sophomore Daryus Dixson and redshirt freshman Jahmir Joseph.

Though he isn’t the oldest player in the room, Dixson has become its leader, Smith said.

“He’s been amazing in the meeting room,” Smith said. “He’s completely taken control of the corner room. He’s the leader, him and Zion, but he’s the verbal guy. He has a veteran presence.”

Regarding Tracy, the cornerback upon whom Campbell lavished praise, Smith was a bit more reserved. As his position coach, Smith sought to ground Tracy.

“Zion has a lot of potential,” Smith said. “He’s an explosive athlete, he’s played a lot of football here for us. We’re just trying to make sure Zion plays consistent football, gives consistent effort. He’s got big-play capability, and if we can bring that consistency, he can be special.”

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