Where Penn State Made its Most Important Moves in the Transfer Portal

Nittany Lions coach Matt Campbell used the portal aggressively but judiciously to remake his roster.

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht reacts during the Blue-White practice at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Upon taking the Penn State job, Matt Campbell knew he needed to be aggressive yet purposeful in the transfer portal. That went beyond just bringing along the top parts of his roster from Iowa State.

Sure Campbell did that, signing 24 former Cyclones in his 40-player transfer class, many of whom will be starters this season. However, Campbell also targeted players outside Ames, with input from defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn, quarterbacks coach Jake Waters and general manager Derek Hoodjer.

Penn State landed the nation's fourth-ranked transfer class, according to the 247Sports Composite, and not just for its size. Campbell was purposeful in finding talent, fit and experience, an important combination for the head coach in Year 1. Here's a look at Penn State most successful portal moves in 2026.

Getting its starting quarterback

Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell celebrates with quarterback Rocco Becht after defeating the West Virginia Mountaineers at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

A healthy Rocco Becht is the key to Penn State's offense and the team's most important move of the winter rebuild. Campbell was fortunate to have a three-year starting quarterback willing to transfer from Iowa State to Penn State and the budget to make that happen.

"When you talk about having the ball in his hand at the end of a football game, no matter what happened the last three and a half quarters, that's a guy that you want with the ball in his hand," Campbell said. "I think he's proven it with videotape evidence. I always say, nobody's had more game-winning touchdown drives on the last drive of a game than what Rocco Becht has in college football, and that's been pretty impressive.

"... Real confidence is earned, and I think Rocco has earned it through good days, and then responding to really hard days. And his ability to navigate that has allowed him to have real confidence going into his senior season."

Once he got the commitment from Becht, Campbell knew he would lose three quarterbacks to the portal. The two most important were Ethan Grunkemeyer, who likely will start for James Franklin at Virginia Tech, and Jaxon Smolik, who Penn State could see Sept. 12 against Temple in Philadelphia.

But Campbell and Hoodjer also knew they had to be judicious with their budget, having spent most of it on Becht. So they retained two Iowa State quarterbacks in Alex Manske and Kase Evans, who had signed with the Cyclones in late 2025, and offered a chance to Division III quarterback Connor Barry.

Barry ended up being one of the nicer stories of spring practice. With Becht limited and Manske out, the redshirt senior (who began his career at Appalachian State in 2022) got plenty of necessary work in the spring offense.

Acquiring targets for Becht

Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Chase Sowell runs a route during the Blue-White Spring game at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Sophomore receiver Koby Howard made a pointed observation when he said, "I'm technically a new guy, even though I stayed at Penn State."

Campbell didn't bring in Becht as a fourth-year starter only to make him throw to unfamilar targets. The head coach wisely brought his most productive targets from Iowa State to blend with who they considered the top returning prospects.

Penn State lost 10 receivers to the portal or the final year of eligibility, so Campbell faced a lot of work there. He of course started at Iowa State with his top two 2025 receivers, Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen, who combined for more than 1,000 yards receiving.

Campbell also brought 5-11 Zay Robinson and 6-5 Karon Brookins with him to play their own unique roles in the offense. Needing experience, Campbell signed Keith Jones Jr., a redshirt sophomore who made 32 receptions at Grambling last season.

Campbell also naturally reworked the tight end room, a position he values as much as Penn State has over the past decade. All three transfers (Ben Brahmer, Gabe Burkle and Cooper Alexander) will contribute, but Brahmer could be Penn State's most important offensive player beyond Becht. He's a preseason All-American who has a 50-catch season in his sights.

Remaking the defensive tackle position

UCLA Bruins defensive lineman Keanu Williams (99) recovers the fumble against the Washington State Cougars at Rose Bowl. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Defensive tackles coach Ikaika Malloe will mold a different group with new purpose this season. Lynn and Malloe specifically sought bigger tackles to act as the thick middle of their defense, wearying linemen to prevent them from making second-level blocks. In this defense, linebackers Caleb Bacon and Tony Rojas could make 10 tackles per game if the down linemen do their jobs.

So in addition to size, Lynn and Malloe targeted experience. Siale Taupaki is in his mid-20s and playing his eighth season of college football. He played for Lynn at UCLA in 2023. So did fifth-year senior Keanu Williams, who began his career at Oregon.

Oklahoma State transfer Armstrong Nnodim, a breakout spring performer, spent two seasons with the Cowboys. And Utah transfer Dallas Vakalahi is a 326-pound junior who could get into the rotation.

Turning over the linebacker position quickly

Iowa State Cyclones linebacker Caleb Bacon pursues Kansas Jayhawks quarterback Jalon Daniels (6) during a Big 12 game at Jack Trice Stadium. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Penn State ended the 2025 season with a lot of quesstions at linebacker. Seven entered the portal, including Tennessee transfer Amare Campbell, who didn't believe the new staff valued him highly enough. The Nittany Lions also were down two injured linebackers, including Tony Rojas, who had multiple offers to transfer.

But in retaining Rojas and sophomore Alex Tatsch, Campbell had a returning foundation onto which he could build with his former Cyclones. Campbell raided the Iowa State linebackers room, bringing four, including three of the team's top seven tacklers last season.

Two playmakers to watch in particular are Kooper Ebel and Caleb Bacon. The linebackers combined to make 17 tackles for loss in Iowa State's defense, which helps compensate for the loss of Campbell and Dominic DeLuca's 16 TFLs.

In particular, Bacon gets to quarterbacks; he made three sacks and four hurries last season. If Lynn can turn this group into sweepers this season, Penn State's defense has a chance to overcome some of its limitations and become a formidable unit.

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