2026 Northwestern Football Know Your Opponent: Penn State Nittany Lions
· Yahoo Sports
For what is supposed to be the first ever game played at the new Ryan Field, it’s a Friday showdown between Northwestern and the new-look Penn State team with a new head coach and an influx of transfers. Oct. 2 is the day where the Wildcats can start off on the right note in their new building, or when the Nittany Lions get revenge on last season.
The Basics
Returning Production: 52% overall (50% offense, 53% defense); 67th in FBS
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2025 Record: 7-6 (3-6 B1G)
Head Coach: Matt Campbell (first season)
The Stats
2026 SP+ Overall: 17th
2026 SP+ Offense: 14th
2026 SP+ Defense: 23rd
2026 SP+ Special Teams: 6th
2025 Capsule
After a 3-0 start to the 2025 season, all hell broke loose for Penn State. A close loss to Oregon in double overtime seemed not to be the biggest deal, but then a crushing loss to UCLA, followed by quarterback Drew Allar going down for the season in an upset loss to Northwestern, was the first of a six-game losing streak that saw the end of James Franklin’s tenure as the Nittany Lions’ head coach.
Yet, outside of a 24-point loss to Ohio State, the Nittany Lions’ largest margin of defeat was six points, which was in that overtime loss to Oregon. In the losses against UCLA, Northwestern, Iowa and Indiana, Penn State lost by a combined 10 points. The Nittany Lions did finish the season by winning their last three regular-season games and a bowl game, bringing them to a 7-6 record, but the mid-season collapse after starting the season as the preseason No. 2 was enough to prompt major changes.
Offensive Overview
With Matt Campbell as the new head coach, many of his former Iowa State players followed him to State College on both sides of the ball. Arguably the most notable of all is quarterback Rocco Becht. In December 2025, Becht underwent surgery for a partially torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder. He’s progressing well health-wise and will look to return to his 2024 form, where he threw for 3,505 yards and 25 touchdowns. Becht is familiar with much of the offensive coaching staff that followed Campbell, and a few of his favorite targets from his time with the Cyclones also joined him. Wide receivers Brett Eskildsen and Chase Sowell, the Cyclones’ two leading receivers last season, followed Campbell and Becht to Penn State. Eskildsen caught 30 passes for 526 yards and five touchdowns, while Sowell caught 32 passes for 500 yards and two touchdowns. Koby Howard returns from last season for the Nittany Lions, and despite just seven catches, his big-play potential is intriguing after averaging 19.1 yards per catch.
Tight end may be the strongest position group for the Nittany Lions this season. Andrew Rappleyea returns after becoming a bigger part of the Penn State offense toward the end of the 2025 season. He caught touchdown passes in each of the last three games for the Nittany Lions, including a 75-yard receiving performance in their regular season finale against Rutgers. Joining him is former Iowa State tight end Benjamin Brahmer. Brahmer was Becht’s most reliable pass catcher last season, leading the Cyclones with 37 catches and six touchdowns, while going for 446 yards. Lastly, former Cyclone Gabe Burkle is another reliable option for Becht. Burkle caught the fourth-most passes for Iowa State last season behind the two receivers mentioned before and Brahmer, turning his 26 receptions into 303 yards and a touchdown. The tight end room’s familiarity with its quarterback, plus breakout potential with Rappleyea, makes it very intriguing.
For the offensive line, Anthony Donkoh should be a sure-fire starter after two consecutive seasons starting on Penn State’s O-line: at right tackle in 2024 and at guard in 2025. Former five-star recruit Malachi Goodman is likely the other starter at tackle opposite Donkoh after a strong spring. At guard, returner Cooper Cousins and Iowa State transfer Trevor Buhr should get the starting nods. Buhr was an All-Big 12 honorable mention in 2025 and is looking to become a stalwart on this offensive line. At center, it’s most likely going to be Texas State transfer Brock Riker, but returner Dominic Rulli should also be in the mix.
Lastly is running back. With both Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen in the NFL, Penn State had to retool its RB room. The first contributor should be Iowa State transfer Carson Hansen, who is coming off a 2025 season where he earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors and accounted for 1,086 yards from scrimmage and six total touchdowns. Joining him is Ohio State transfer James Peoples, who averaged 5.6 yards per carry with the Buckeyes last year despite true freshman Bo Jackson overtaking him on the depth chart. Peoples and Hansen are both skilled pass catchers, so that added dimension to their games can help elevate the Nittany Lions’ offense. The last name at running back to be aware of is returning player Quinton Martin Jr. He had a strong performance in the Pinstripe Bowl against Clemson: 20 carries for 103 yards. He did this despite the other two backs that were on the roster at the time. This projected three-headed backfield could be very dangerous for opponents
Defensive Overview
Defensively, Penn State retooled with its new coach, as it did on offense. Starting with the defensive line, much of last season’s production is no longer on the roster. At Edge, Max Granville will get his shot at a breakout season after suffering a season-ending injury before the 2025 season started. He was hyped up to be the next-best Penn State edge rusher after Abdul Carter, so there are obviously high expectations. Opposite of him will likely be Yvan Kemajou, who has every physical attribute one would want in an edge rusher. Despite not playing as much as a starter would last season, he was just a true freshman and showed plenty of flashes that suggest what he could be with a full season of reliable playing time. Iowa State transfer Ikenna Ezeogu should also see plenty of reps, but his build makes him more likely to be used in more obvious running situations. LaVarr Arrington II should also see a significant amount of time at Edge after switching from linebacker over to the defensive line this offseason. If he’s anything like his father and is good enough to be wearing the No. 11 jersey, then he could really break out onto the scene. Another edge rusher who will likely get a fair bit of playing time is incoming first-year Jackson Ford, who was the only commit who stayed with Penn State after Franklin was fired. His build makes him an ideal player at the position. Lastly, Colorado transfer Alexander McPherson could also see his fair share of snaps.
At defensive tackle, Keanu Williams and Siale Taupaki both join this D-line group after following their defensive line coach from UCLA. Williams had a career-best 39 tackles in 2025, while Taupaki had 38 tackles and two sacks across 2024 and 2025. Williams is entering his sixth season of college football, while Taupaki is entering his eighth — safe to say that there is experience between the two of them even with limited playing time in earlier parts of their careers. Oklahoma State transfer Armstrong Nnodim, Iowa State transfer Alijah Carnell and Utah transfer Dallas Vakalahi are all names to monitor for this position as well.
At linebacker, Tony Rojas is looking to continue what he started before his 2025 season was cut short by injury. The game in which Rojas went down was when Penn State’s collapse began to happen, especially defensively. His talent makes him a potential All-American if he can stay healthy and be even better than he was at the start of last season. Joining him to start will likely be Iowa State transfer Caleb Bacon. The former walk-on is coming off his best season, where he had 68 tackles, 9.5 tackles-for-loss, three sacks and a forced fumble. Alex Tatsch is another returning player for Penn State, who earned experience as a true freshman last season and will likely see his role increase as the 2026 season progresses. Cael Brezina is another former Cyclone who adds plenty of depth and familiarity for this room.
For the defensive backs, Campbell has two very familiar faces in Marcus Neal Jr. and Jeremiah Cooper, both of whom followed him to Penn State. Neal Jr. had 77 tackles, 11 TFLs and two interceptions last season and will certainly start at safety, while Cooper had a promising start to the 2025 season before an injury cut it short. Cooper played safety his first three seasons with the Cyclones before moving to cornerback last season, so either position is on the table for him, even though he’s listed at safety on Penn State’s 2026 roster. At CB, with A.J. Harris transferring out, it will likely be Audavion Collins and Daryus Dixson as the two outside starters. Collins had a solid year in his first as a starter, despite giving up some big plays. Dixson is a likely breakout candidate with a lot of buzz surrounding him this spring and some flashes in his true freshman season. Zion Tracy returns and should get the starting nod in the slot, but his role may look different than it did last year with a potential defensive scheme switch for Penn State. However, Tracy does bring speed and experience as a reliable option in nickel looks against spread offenses. Campbell also sees Tracy contributing at safety, so if the Nittany Lions prioritize a three-safety look, he may start on the backend, while Cooper could likely play in the rover role.