Why Penn State Moved Freshman Quarterback Peyton Falzone to Tight End

STATE COLLEGE | Penn State has made several key position switches during training camp. One addressed the team's needs this season, while another could be a long-term move.

After Nittany Lions coach Matt Campbell moved linebacker Caleb Bacon to defensive end, he then transitioned freshman quarterback Peyton Falzone to tight end. Bacon's move added a fifth-year senior with experience playing on the line of scrimmage to an edge-rusher group that needed a veteran.

Meanwhile, Falzone's shift from quarterback to tight end could be a longer-term decision to pair his skills with a position group that Campbell loves. The head coach has said, perhaps not jokingly, that he'd play five tight ends at a time if he could.

And so far, Falzone has made Campbell feel positive about the decision. The freshman made some "wow" plays in his first day at tight end Wednesday and made several more impressive catches Thursday.

"Peyton made some really special plays with the ball in his hands," Campbell said.

Penn State coach Matt Campbell says freshman QB Peyton Falzone made some “really special plays” on his first day practicing with the tight ends. pic.twitter.com/thUbXMiZqA
— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) August 13, 2026

Falzone, a 3-star quarterback from Nazareth (Pa.) High, signed with Penn State last December, before Campbell was hired. He had gone through an exhaustive recruiting process, committing to Virginia Tech, Penn State and Auburn before returning to Penn State.

Falzone maintained a recruiting relationship with associate head coach Terry Smith late last season, and Smith was instrumental in getting Falzone signed. The quarterback, who missed most of his senior year with an injury, practiced with the Nittany Lions during Pinstripe Bowl week and enrolled in January.

Though he enrolled as a quarterback, and practiced there during spring drills, Penn State's staff wondered what else they could do with Falzone's athleticism. Falzone ran a 4.5 40-yard dash and hit 38 inches in the vertical jump while in high school. At Penn State, he has gained about 20 pounds (he's 6-5, 216) while maintaining that speed.

"You just want to see what guys can do, and Peyton stood out," Campbell said. "... Man, this guy’s got so much athleticism, is there more that we can do early on that he can maybe help our football team out, somehow, some way?"

The looks begin during the spring. At Penn State's final spring practice at Beaver Stadium, Falzone wore a traditional offensive blue jersey instead of the purple non-contact jersey of the other quarterbacks. Campbell said he did that to give Falzone an opportunity to run more during the scrimmage component of practice.

Falzone began training camp with the quarterbacks, but the offensive staff looked for way to get him involved elsewhere. Before the switch became official, Penn State quarterbacks coach Jake Waters said that he wanted to see how Falzone could run and potentially even catch the ball.

"You can get super creative with guys that can throw and then run, too," Waters said. "So you never know exactly where we would get to him, but the possibilities for him are wide open with his athletic ability."

Penn State's coaching staff is very high on redshirt freshman Alex Manske, whom Campbell has repeatedly call the team's quarterback of the future. Penn State also signed freshman Kase Evans, a 6-3 quarterback from Texas who was part of Iowa State's 2026 recruiting class.

Meanwhile, there's more future fluidity at tight end. Ben Brahmer is a senior and likely headed to the NFL after this season. And Gabe Burkle is a fifth-year senior. Further, with the NCAA's new "five-for-five" eligiblity rule, Falzone could make the transition this season and still have four years to play the position.

"I give him a lot of credit, because he did what was best for the team and wanted to make that move right now," Campbell said. "Obviously we left the quarterback piece open, but I think what’s best for him and best for the football team right now was his ability to see maybe what he can do [at tight end].

"I’m proud of him. He's done a great job. It's only been two days, and it will be a work in progress. That's not an easy move to make, but when you talk about athleticism, he had a couple big catches [Wednesday] and had a couple big catches again [Thursday], so we’re really excited about what his future entails."

Penn State quarterback commit Peyton Falzone of Nazareth (Pa.) High at his Signing Day ceremony. — Penn State quarterback commit Peyton Falzone of Nazareth (Pa.) High at his Signing Day ceremony with Penn State and Nazareth helmets. | Mark Wogenrich | Penn State on SI

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