Penn State has lacked consistent production at wide receiver for the last five seasons.
So it's no surprise that preseason magazines rank the Nittany Lions in the middle of the pack or worse in the Big Ten, even with a massive turnover at that position.
Forgive the new receivers if they feel slighted.
"I like being the underdog because that means you didn't see me coming," senior Chase Sowell said. "A lot of underdogs overcome a lot of stuff. Indiana did last year. You better look out for us."
Sowell and fellow Iowa State transfer Brett Eskildsen combined for 62 receptions, 1,026 yards and seven touchdowns last season with the Cyclones. They're likely to be the starters in an offense that will often use two tight ends.

#penn #nittany #lions #iowa

There are plenty of new faces in new places as the 2026 college football season inches closer. Some of these coaches in the first year with their new programs are tasked with resetting the culture, others are expected to bring a sense of stability, and a select few are burdened with the mandate to win right away.
Penn State head coach Matt Campbell certainly won't be fired or reprimanded if he struggles in his first year in Happy Valley, but this is a proud program that won't accept mediocrity or underachievement for very long. Brad Crawford of CBS Sports predicted the records for each new coach this season, and the Nittany Lions' leader got a respectable estimate at 9-3.
This record is tied for third-best among all of Crawford's coaching predictions, with Utah coach Morgan Scalley and LSU coach Lane Kiffin ranked higher. Campbell is even expected to do better than Kyle Whittingham at Michigan, who is arguably walking into a much easier situation with a lot more talent.
9-3 likely wouldn't be enough to get into the College Football Playoff, but it would secure a Bowl Game and be a much smoother ride than last year's rollercoaster. Crawford has Penn State going 6-3 in the Big Ten, likely meaning losses against Michigan and USC. It hopefully wouldn't be a sign of things to come, but after more than a decade of big-game blunders under the leadership of James Franklin, it would be a relief for fans if Campbell didn't begin his tenure losing two of his only big games in the conference.
It's tough to gauge any team's standing right now with no games or scrimmages happening, but the vibes seem to be positive around the Nittany Lions at the moment. Let's see if they can parlay this energy into a successful season that shocks some people.

#coach #penn #crawford #college

Thanks to the injunction that allowed class of 2022 athletes a 5th season of eligibility, Josh Reed decided to return to Penn State for the 2026-27 season.
A 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward, Reed spent last season in Happy Valley after spending his first three seasons at Cincinnati. With the Nittany Lions, Reed was one of the few bright spots during a feeble 2025-26 campaign, averaging 11.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 1 SPG. He'll now be back for one more season, which is quite the coup for Penn State. Reed certainly isn't a star by any stretch, but he's a solid athlete with good size and good smarts. He can defend on the wing or in the post. Really, he's an ideal good glue who will absolutely get minutes — and likely start — just as he did last season.
If I had to guess the depth chart, it'll look something like this:
1: Dasante Bowen / Jay Rodgers
2: Roberts Blums / Francois Wibaut
3: Brant Byers / Francois Wibaut
4: Josh Reed / Roko Prokacin
5: Ivan Juric / Tim Oboh
For Penn State basketball, that's not too shabby of a roster. NCAA tournament worthy? Probably not. But I think a solid step in the right direction after last season.

#wibaut

Teams who take care of their business by rolling over opponents that they're supposed to beat are typically the ones that are the most successful in sports. A lot has been made of Penn State's schedule for 2026, with the storied school projected to have one of the easier slates in the nation.
USA Today's Paul Myerberg game up with one important question for each team that appeared on the US LBM Coaches Poll, and his question for the Nittany Lions addressed the enviable schedule. Myerberg wonders, "How much can PSU make out of an easier Big Ten schedule?"
Whenever a team in arguably the best conference in college football can avoid the heavy hitters like Oregon, Ohio State, and Indiana, they are in an advantageous position. Myerberg acknowledges that Penn State has a real shot at earning a spot in the College Football Playoff, citing the relatively easy schedule and the continuity of the roster.
The Nittany Lions will be led by a new voice and implement new practices this year under head coach Matt Campbell, but there's a level of familiarity thanks to the massive number of Iowa State transfers he brought over. This combination creates a strong possibility for the team to gel quickly and surprise some people with a fast start to the season.
Penn State still faces a few challenges along the way, like their mid-season battles with Michigan and USC, but they'll take this path any day. There are a multitude of factors that are aligning for the Nittany Lions to have a major bounce back season — now they just need to go on the field and prove it.

#state #penn #schedule

Washington Commanders' newly signed linebacker Odafe Oweh entered the NFL in 2021. He attended Penn State University for three seasons before entering the draft, but before committing to the Nittany Lions, Oweh had only been playing football for a couple of years. Previously, his sport was basketball, but when he got kicked off the basketball team, he turned to football.
Oweh was asked about his history with football after the Commanders' training camp practice concluded on Tuesday.
"It's the craziest story," Oweh replies. "I had to switch my career last second. I got kicked off the basketball team, and I had to make a decision. Am I going to keep trying to be LeBron James, or am I going to pivot and find my Plan B? And I did, gladly. The second school that I ended up going to, Blair Academy, they actually made me play two sports. So I wouldn't have even had to play basketball if it wasn't that. That was the only school that was trying to admit me and everything, so it was kind of God shifting things in my place.
"I started playing when I was 16. I redid my junior year, and after that, the rest is history."
Oweh goes on to talk about how college scouts started to recruit him after one season. Rutgers was one of the first to reach out, but after that, he heard from places like Alabama, Ohio State, Penn State, and Florida, among others. He talked about how he never thought schools of that caliber would ever take a chance on a guy who'd only been playing for one year, yet they were.

#Football #going #kicked

Five former Penn State football stars have been named among the greatest college football players.
The Sporting News released a College Football All-America Teams by Decades listing this week as the Nittany Lions open fall camp in preparation for the 2026 season.
The Lions who made the cut: Tight end Ted Kwalick (1960s), linebacker Shane Conlan (1980s), offensive lineman Sean Farrell (1980s), linebacker LaVar Arrington (1990s) and running back Saquon Barkley (2010s).
Kwalick, Conlan and Arrington are college football hall of famers. All were first-team All-Americans during their careers.
Of course, the piece does not include the 1950s, which featured PSU hall of fame quarterback Richie Lucas and superstar running back Lenny Moore, who Joe Paterno called the greatest player he ever coached.

#Football #kwalick #conlan

Forget who might be this year's Indiana. Who will be this year's 2025 Penn State?
Remember the Nittany Lions, perched third in this same US LBM Coaches Poll to open the last college football season? They merely had eight players selected in the most recent NFL Draft and another seven who signed undrafted free-agent deals.
They also fired their coach by the second weekend of October three games into what became a six-game losing streak.
College football Top 25 rankings: Ohio State leads US LBM Coaches Poll
Not far behind Penn State — in preseason rankings and in-season disappointment — was Clemson, which debuted at No. 6 and closed unranked, same 7-6 mark as the Nittany Lions and loser against Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl.

#state #coaches #poll #Football

Penn State football owns a Top 20 ranking, after all, to start its hopeful recovery season under new head coach Matt Campbell.
The Nittany Lions are No. 17 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, the first of the upcoming 2026 season, which was released on Tuesday, Aug 4.
It's quite the contrast to last August when former coach James Franklin's highly-publicized team started No. 3 − the program's highest preseason standing in the poll in 28 years. Of course, Franklin was fired in the middle of a stunning six-game losing streak that turned Penn State into college football's most disappointing team.
The Lions finished the season unranked, despite a late turnaround under interim leader Terry Smith. Campbell and his new staff now open their first preseason camp on Wednesday, Aug. 5, and will make their debut in a bigger-than-ever Beaver Stadium a month later against Marshall.
This new Top 25 is expectedly led by three Big Teams in No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Oregon and No. 6 and defending national champion Indiana − none of which the Lions play during the regular season. Other Big Ten teams in the poll: USC (14th), Michigan (16th), Washington (19th) and Iowa (22nd).

#state #lions #penn

Penn State's 2026 season will feature a completely overhauled roster following an offseason of significant transition. A coaching change led to a flurry of activity in the transfer portal, which led to a number of new faces on the program. We have taken some time to profile each player on the roster this season, but now it is time to dig a little deeper on the 25 players who will play the largest roles on the roster.
We shift our focus today to the defensive side of the football with one of the most important players coming back to the Nittany Lions in 2026; linebacker Tony Rojas.
A promising 2025 season was cut short early in the 2025 season for Tony Rojas. Coming off a stellar sophomore season in 2024 that was recognized with an honorable All-Big Ten mention, Rojas started four games for the Nittany Lions before missing the remainder of the year with a quad injury in a loss to Oregon. The loss of Rojas was felt immediately the following week when Penn State's defense was shredded by UCLA in a shocking loss that set in motion the eventual firing of head coach James Franklin. In his four games played, Rojas racked up 25 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.
Rojas, a native of Virginia, was thought by some to be a potential player to follow Franklin to Virginia Tech during the offseason transfer window, but Rojas has remained committed to the Nittany Lions as Matt Campbell and his staff take over the program. His return is a key one for the defense and the team overall given his potential star power.
Is Tony Rojas back to full speed? That will be the main question for the star linebacker entering this season. Rojas said previously he expects to be cleared to go full speed in fall camp and once the season begins, as he was making good progress in his recovery plan entering the spring.

#franklin

The Florida State Seminoles extended a scholarship offer to four-star offensive tackle Tyrie Davis-Winn back in June, becoming the latest school to enter the race for the blue-chip talent.
They have quickly become a factor in his recruitment and are set to host him on his first visit later this month. He is set to attend FSU's game against the New Mexico State Aggies on Aug. 29 in Doak Campbell Stadium, he told Gavin Hart of 247Sports. It will be FSU's first game of the season and will be the first of several visits for the Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania native.
He is also set to watch the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Penn State Nittany Lions, Virginia Tech Hokies, and South Carolina Gamecocks play during the season. Davis-Winn made it clear to Hart that he is looking forward to his time in Tallahassee and meeting the coaching staff in person.
"Obviously, it's a great program," he said. "They've been recruiting me heavily to get down there, so I'd love to get down there, see the place and see the environment. They say they love my film and how I move. My parents want me to get down there to see the facilities, the environment and meet the coaching staff in person because I've never officially been down there yet. I think it's going to be a great experience."
Davis-Winn is ranked as the No. 219 overall player and No. 26 offensive tackle in the 247Sports composite. He is also the No. 8 player from Pennsylvania.

#davis #first

In terms of years for the Penn State staff, athletic director Pat Kraft has had a pretty rough one. Whether it be the decision to fire James Franklin and the subsequent fallout or overseeing renovations to Beaver Stadium, he hasn't had much time to breathe. However, fans will be happy to know that in new head coach Matt Campbell, he has found somebody he can trust.
"I think he is the absolute perfect person at the perfect time for Penn State football," Kraft said during Big Ten media days. The road to get him to Happy Valley wasn't necessarily easy, but the fact that Kraft is giving Campbell a vote of confidence after a highly rigorous coaching process is very telling. Not only did Kraft need someone who could usher in a new era of Penn State football, but he also needed someone willing to buy in and build a solid culture with a new-look squad.
Campbell got to work right away in doing so by bringing in a whopping 55 transfers. An even more impressive feat was retaining 55 players despite the change. While some may say that bringing in a lot of players may take time to gel, it's also a testament to what Campbell is already doing in Happy Valley to foster a sense of community.
"I believe that [Campbell] understands what it means to be, and the importance of the role of, the head football coach at Penn State, and he doesn't take that lightly," Kraft said. "I think he has built a culture in a very short time that our fans, our alumni, everybody will be very, very proud of. And they will be an incredibly competitive, tough, physical football team."The season ahead could be one filled with success for the Nittany Lions, if they play their cards right. It could also be one that tests a lot of fans' patience if it goes wrong. Still, when your AD is this effusive about his new head coach, there is every right for fans to have a sense of optimism before the season starts.
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#kraft #campbell #Football #happy

You can't keep him away for long! Michael Mauti is set to join Penn State's staff under Matt Campbell as Director of Football Engagement. The Penn State athletics website already reflects the change, showing this had likely been in the works for some time.
Mauti, a former All-American, has been a vocal advocate of the Nittany Lions since graduation and well before, having been one of the biggest reasons the 2012 team stayed together. Since, he's been involved in an "unofficial" capacity, having been involved in the early NIL world. He helped Lions Legacy Club, now Happy Valley United, which is Penn State's primary NIL collective.
Although this is the official ****** le, Mauti was already involved through the Nittany Lion Club, where he served as ****** ociate director of development. His transition into the new role now puts him in between the players and key boosters, as well as the Penn State Football Letterman's Club.
For those of you paying attention, maybe when Campbell said something to the effect of former players being the program's super power, this is what he was alluding to.
Congratulations to Michael in his new role, and we hope it comes with great success!

#involved

While veteran wideout Chase Claypool drew the headlines from the day, the Indianapolis Colts worked out a handful of other skill position players on Thursday—ultimately signing former Penn State wideout Liam Clifford:
#colts worked out Chase Claypool, Liami Clifford (signed), Jermar jefferson, Roydell Williams
The 6'1", 200 pound undrafted 1st-year wideout previously participated in the Colts recent 2026 rookie minicamp tryout after earning 4x Academic All-Big Ten honors with the Nittany Lions.
During his 4-year collegiate career, Clifford caught 42 receptions for 530 receiving yards (12.6 ypr. avg.) and a touchdown reception, as well as had 3 rushes for 16 total rushing yards.
On special teams, he had one touchdown on a blocked punt.

#touchdown

Quarterback Rocco Becht is intent on setting things right in 2026. Becht's transfer to Penn State after a rough 2025 season, along with several of his teammates, gives him a unique opportunity to start anew. Along with pass catchers Chase Sowell, Brett Eskildsen, and Benjamin Brahmer, Becht is looking to elevate the production of the offense. However, during Big Ten media day, Becht highlighted the role that a returner could play in the offense.
"That guy is really special," Becht said of sophomore wideout Koby Howard. "He did a lot of good things in spring ball and he's probably going to do a lot of great things in fall camp [and] in the season for us. So, hopefully I can get him over 1,000 yards receiving, but something I'm looking forward to is just playing with him." While that is a lofty goal to set for a receiver you have never worked with, it is one that should intrigue Penn State fans.
Howard is the youngest member of Penn State's new-look receiving corps and is also the only player who got meaningful snaps at the position. Still, being a true freshman meant that he didn't receive many targets either. He only caught seven passes for 133 yards. This year, with Becht now at the helm, Howard will almost certainly see more snaps.
Whether or not he breaks 1,000 yards remains to be seen. After all, Penn State receivers have not covered themselves in glory in that regard over the past several years. Still, both Becht and Howard have apparently built a nice rapport with each other during fall camp, with Howard serving as a potential touchstone to Becht during his transition to life in Happy Valley. That connection may not result in a breakout season for Howard, but it could definitely be better than last season for Howard as well.
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#becht #penn #season #along

CHICAGO – It's been a decade since Matt Campbell took over a new college football program. That was in late 2015 when he left Toledo to become the head coach at Iowa State.
But his departure from the Cyclones had some new wrinkles as he made his way to Penn State. NIL and the transfer portal are both central parts of the college football landscape, meaning recruiting has changed drastically.
[ $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage ]
While putting the Penn State roster together, Campbell and the staff leaned heavily on the portal. The Nittany Lions have 38 fresh faces coming in, including 24 who will re-join Campbell from Iowa State. But in addition to navigating the portal, NIL is also front and center in the early years of the revenue-sharing era.
To Campbell, though, that part of the equation not necessarily a challenge. It could also be a way to gain a better understanding of how a player can fit within a program – in multiple ways.

#state #Football

USC football plays Penn State this season. Nittany Lions Wire looked at PSU pass rusher Max Granville.
"Granville enrolled early at Penn State before a season ending injury caused him to miss the 2025 season. In his true freshman season however, he appeared in seven games, logging a tackle and a pass breakup. Since Granville can play in a hybrid role, many project that not only will he start at the "Leo" spot(off the edge/outside linebacker), but that he can rotate easily between both. He has the size and length to use his bend around offensive tackles but the lateral range to set the edge in a linebacker role. It is because of this versatility that Granville is expected to log double digit sacks."
Clearly, Max Granville is expected to be a high-impact player on the Penn State defense. What is tricky about USC's attempt to counteract him is that he could play different positions and line up at different spots on the field. Penn State can change up its defensive looks in an attempt to confuse USC quarterback Jayden Maiava. USC's offensive line ****** ignments need to be very clear. Communication at the offensive line before the snap has to be precise, consistent and well-integrated. USC is playing Penn State on the road, so the Trojans have to have a system in place for communicating signals which is reliable and won't create mix-ups. USC cannot allow Max Granville to make negative plays which throw a monkey wrench into the Trojans' offensive possessions.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC opposing player scouting report - Max Granville, Penn State

#state #offensive #line #pass

Matt Campbell has a chance to become an even bigger name in college football circles after his arrival at Penn State. He was already one of the more respected head coaches in the nation thanks to his performance in his 10 seasons with Iowa State.
Campbell became the winningest coach in Cyclones history and has the best winning percentage in the school's modern history. Now, he'll be facing a much tougher challenge with the Nittany Lions, prompting people at the Big Ten's media day to question what was the motivation to leave Iowa State.
Campbell was asked about why he left for Penn State when he wouldn't even leave for the Detroit Lions' head coaching gig back in 2021. "If I were ever going to leave Iowa State, it was going to have to be a school and an institution that really fit how I believe and what I believe," said Campbell.
He clearly believes the Nittany Lions align with those ideals, telling reporters, "What Penn State football has stood for really resonated with myself… it really had to be a perfect fit."
Whatever fans may feel about former coach James Franklin — they can't say that he wasn't a man of high character who transformed the culture at Penn State during one of the most turbulent periods in school history. Now, they hold the reputation of being a stable program again with a strong culture that Campbell is looking to build and expand on.

#history #really

It was a wild and winding coaching search at Penn State last season, but it ended up with one of the most quietly successful coaches in college football in Iowa State's Matt Campbell.
The Nittany Lions made the somewhat surprising decision to fire coach James Franklin less than a year removed from a trip to the College Football Playoff semifinal, and Campbell, the winningest coach in Cyclones history, faces immediate expectations of success.
Though the pressure may be a bit higher in Happy Valley than it is in Ames, Campbell isn't changing the strategy that worked so well for him at Iowa State, where he won 11 games in 2024 and reached the Big 12 Championship Game twice.
"I'm not wavering," Campbell said at Big Ten media days, per ESPN. "I think the misnomer has been (it's) not about results. The reality is, we have chosen to focus on the process and the people, aligning those two things as good or better than anybody to be the best we truly can be, and I think it's really why we got the results at Iowa State, and I don't know any other way."
The attempt to maintain the same systems and strategies will be easier because the Nittany Lions added many of Campbell's former Iowa State players via the transfer portal — 24 of them, to be exact, headlined by quarterback Rocco Becht.

#college #results

The Big Ten is taking its turn in the media day fun this week in Chicago. Big Ten football media day gets underway with the start of a three-day event on Tuesday, and Penn State will be one of the schools in the spotlight. New head coach Matt Campbell is in Chicago with player representatives Rocco Becht, Anthony Donkoh, and Tony Rojas to discuss the status of the Nittany Lions heading into the 2026 season.
Penn State was picked to finish in sixth place in the unofficial Big Ten media poll, so it will be interesting to hear just what the pulse is of the program from its reps in Chicago. Will this be a team flying under the radar in the College Football Playoff push, or will there be some time needed to rebuild the confidence of the program?
Here is how to stay on top of everything going down at Big Ten Media Day today.
Watch Big Ten Media Days on Fubo
TV Channel: Big Ten Network

#Chicago #program

While the Penn State Nittany Lions lost a lot of production in the 2026 NFL Draft, fans were already questioning whether or not several of Penn State's returning options could be seen as draft picks in 2027. Well, after an offseason of change, there certainly seems like the Nittany Lions have a new look about them. So when the Shriners East-West Bowl watch list came out, it should have been no surprise that Penn State was well represented on the list.
Most importantly, it pointed out a major early win for new head coach Matt Campbell. Not only did Penn State place nineteen total players on the watch list, but fifteen of them were transfers from this year's portal cycle. In fact, thirteen of them come from Matt Campbell's former school, Iowa State. The headliners of the list include QB Rocco Becht, linebackers Kooper Ebel, Caleb Bacon, and Tony Rojas, and wide receivers Brett Eskildsen and Chase Sowell.
The other two transfers on the list were influenced by new defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn after he came to Happy Valley from UCLA. Still, no matter the former programs each player represented, it's still highly impressive that in his first offseason, Matt Campbell was able to bring over such highly coveted talent. While the main question will still be about his future recruiting efforts, this offseason's transfer haul at least showed signs of positivity in terms of the program's direction.
Perhaps the craziest thing about several of the players on the list is that they may not all enter the draft at the same time. At least five or six players could return to Happy Valley at the end of this season. That continuity could prove to be more important than any preseason hype these players are getting. If they are already receiving this hype with multiple years of eligibility left, that's a good sign for Campbell's long-term planning with the squad.
The bottom line is that a lot of people are still high on the new talent in Happy Valley. The question of whether that translates to on-field success remains to be seen.

#penn #valley

Recruiting may not be on most people's minds with the college football season set to begin in about five more weeks, but Matt Campbell and his staff don't have the luxury of putting it on the mental back burner. They've done a tremendous job of rebuilding Penn State's 2027 recruiting class, while also keeping their eyes further towards the future.
The Nittany Lions already have a top-three Class of 2028 and now they could be getting their hands on another intriguing prospect from that group. Penn State has been recruiting four-star wide receiver Owen Johnson for much of this year, and in a recent interview with NittanyCentral, he spoke about their chances of landing him.
"Penn State definitely has my attention," is how Johnson began his response when asked about which teams he was focused on. Some of the other schools the team will be battling for Johnson's commitment are Nebraska, Notre Dame, and UCLA, but he confirmed that the Nittany Lions are in his top five.
The team has a serious need for wide receivers, with the position seriously lacking in the next two recruiting classes. They did have one of the best pass catchers in next year's group of prospects, four-star receiver Khalil Taylor, but Penn State was unable to land him a second time.
Perhaps the most important piece of information when it comes to Johnson is that he hails from Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania. The Blue and White have had a difficult time keeping recruits in-state, but they have a great opportunity to change their fortunes here. Johnson is clearly keen on playing for the team and becoming one of the crown jewels of a loaded 2028 class — now the onus is on Penn State to make a commitment worth his while.

#johnson #five

Welcome to the dog days of summer.
With the whirlwind of June official visits, camps, and commitment flips behind us, things have started to slow down on the recruiting trail for Penn State. Still, Matt Campbell’s crew has been working behind the scenes enough over the last few weeks to generate some buzz.
Penn State went out of its comfort zone and scooped up three-star offensive lineman Oscar Webersink last week. He’ll fully make the switch to American football and attend high school in Connecticut, where 247Sports already considered him the state’s No. 3 prospect, this fall.
I like this move by Campbell a lot. Webersink is 6-foot-8 and already weighs 290 pounds — an athletic freak by every marker. It might be a long shot that he’ll develop into an NFL-caliber star, but the risk is certainly worth it for Penn State. Every class needs its fair share of lower-rated players with upside, so why not go find them in Sweden?
Four-star Pennsylvania quarterback James Armstrong, who made the call for Penn State in early July, recently went on record with some strong words about his commitment to the Nittany Lions.

#campbell

Heading into a 2026 season expected to bring a ton of chaos for Penn State — a school welcoming a new coach and a roster that is filled with transfer players — there are still a few pillars of stability. One of them is linebacker Tony Rojas, who looked primed to have an incredible year in 2025 before a torn ACL ended his season.
The redshirt junior is beginning his fourth, and likely his last, season with the Nittany Lions, and will be looking to solidify or improve his draft stock. Rojas is arguably the most talented player on the team, and Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report believes a strong campaign will help him.
"{Rojas} should be able to solidify himself as a Day 2 selection with another statistically impressive campaign and by proving that he's back to pre-injury form," Knox said.
Torn ACLs typically take between six months and a year to fully heal, so the former four-star recruit should be nearing a complete recovery by the time the season begins. Extrapolated out to a full season of games, Rojas was on pace to record 75 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks last season.
Even if he doesn't reach those in 2026, getting close to those numbers and playing a full season will certainly improve his draft stock. We should see Rojas back on the field in a few weeks when the Nittany Lions begin their ramp-up for the regular season.

#season #rojas #lions #improve

Position: RW
Height: 6'
Weight: 172 pounds
DOB: April 13, 2005 (age 21)
Shoots: Right
Hometown: Toronto, ON, Canada
2025-26 Team: Soo Greyhounds (OHL)
2025-26 Stats: 65 games played, 35 goals, 54 ****** ists, +27
NHL Draft: 2025 7th round (215th overall) by Tampa Bay Lightning
Penn State's offense needs to replace all four of its top six wingers next year, and Mignosa is arguably the best candidate in the freshman class that can immediately fit in the top six. He played five seasons with the Soo Greyhounds and averaged over a point per game in his final two seasons. He also stepped up during the Greyhounds' playoff run this year, tallying seven goals and 10 ****** ists in 10 games played.
The Nittany Lions have options to replace Gavin McKenna, JJ Wiebusch, Matt DiMarsico, and Aiden Fink. Luke Misa and Shea Van Olm may be ready for a bigger role offensively after a solid freshman season. Dane Dowiak will be back from injury. Someone new will have to take a top six winger spot, and Mignosa has the best profile of Penn State's freshmen to get the nod in the first game of the season. He has a solid future at Penn State. In his final two seasons with the Greyhounds, Mignosa was an alternate captain. We could be looking at a future captain of the Penn State hockey team.

#team #games

People’s minds instantly jump to football when they think about Penn State athletics, but don’t sleep on the other programs at the school. The baseball team was in a dark spot heading into this decade, but they’ve netted a .500 record or better in each of the last three seasons.
This newfound hope for the team has borne some promising players, like the three who were selected in the draft this past weekend. The 2026 MLB Draft took place in Philadelphia, where Michael Anderson, Alex Weingartner, and Dalton Harper all heard their names called. The latter two players never officially suited up for the Nittany Lions, although they were slated to join the team this fall.
Anderson was a valuable weapon for Penn State last season, finishing with an impressive .358 batting average, 20 home runs and 53 RBI in 50 games. The earliest draft pick of the bunch, the two-way star was selected in the fifth round by the Texas Rangers, where he has a chance to become a top prospect in the organization.
Weingartner and Harper were more like projection picks, with neither having played NCAA baseball to this point. The Nittany Lions may not be competing for the College World Series, but that isn’t preventing them from developing MLB-level talent.
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Penn State's newest addition to the Class of 2027 is adding a little international flair to the recruiting class. On Tuesday, offensive lineman Oscar Webersink committed to the Penn State program following an official visit over the weekend. Webersink is a native of Sweden, but will be playing high school football in Connecticut for St. Thomas More in Oakdale, Connecticut.
Webersink is rated as a three-star recruit according to his profile on 247Sports. Webersink is rated as the No. 3 overall player out of Connecticut and the 76th offensive lineman in the nation. Measuring 6'-8" and 290 pounds, Webersink is the fifth offensive lineman currently in the fold for Penn State's Class of 2027. Webersink reportedly committed to Penn State over offers from West Virginia, Northwestern, and Florida State. Once Penn State entered the conversation, the Nittany Lions emerged as the favorite in the recruiting battle.
Webersink is a bit of a work in progress, but he has taken to the game quite quickly. Webersink picked up football as an exchange student in 2023, and he continued playing American football when he returned home in a Swedish league. He has since continued to make appearances at various football camps, including one at Penn State. He will likely take some time to develop a bit before he eventually hopes to contribute in the trenches at this level.
Webersink joins a recruiting class that also includes offensive linemen David Tarawallie, Owen Reilly, Ryan Robbins, and Jon Sassic. Each of those players has committed to Penn State following the hiring of Matt Campbell as head coach.
Penn State's national recruiting ranking prior to the commitment of Webersink was No. 20 in the nation according to the most recent update to the 247Sports composite team rankings. Penn State's Class of 2027 ranks seventh among Big Ten programs.

For the Penn State Nittany Lions this season, no one quite knows what will constitute success. In Matt Campbell's first season with the program, chances are it may take him a while to find his footing. Still, considering the failures of James Franklin last season, there may be a very low threshold to be crossed. Many pundits have discussed a potential Year One trajectory for Campbell and his squad, with former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer weighing in.
“The question I have … can he do better than James Franklin?” Meyer said of Campbell's situation, according to On3. “Because James Franklin won a lot of games there now. A lot. He’s got a new quarterback, he’s got a new staff and usually, it takes a minute to get going. He can’t lose his momentum – and he’s got a lot of momentum going into the season".
For Campbell, the most important aspect of this season comes from the fact that he already has a lot of buy-in from the players on the roster. Bringing in several transfers from Iowa State, and holding on to several key pieces from last year's squad were vital to the momentum that will carry over to the start of the season. Most importantly, it's how this squad responds to any adversity they may face that could be the key to how the season transpires.
The bottom line is that it can't get any worse than last year. It was precisely a bad mindset after bad losses and early season troubles that got James Franklin fired. While the same won't happen to Campbell, the early indications must point towards progress for the team. Whether it be creating a positive locker room culture, or by winning early and often, the task is clear for Campbell and Co. Pundits such as Urban Meyer are simply setting the early standard in Happy Valley.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Urban Meyer sets early standard for Matt Campbell in Year One

There are a lot of new faces, but the talent level remains high for the defensive backfield. Daryus Dixson figures to jump into a starting spot at cornerback after playing in all 13 games in 2025. Audavion Collins and Zion Tracy should compete for the other starting spot. It would not surprise me to see them split snaps, and Tracy has experience as a nickel corner if Penn State chooses to run 4-2-5 schemes. The depth is a bit of a question mark, but Terry Smith has plenty of talent to work with.
Two Iowa State transfers- Marcus Neal and Jeremiah Cooper- will fill the void at safety left behind by Zakee Wheatley and King Mack. Neal has received significant NFL Draft attention for 2027 and has All-Big Ten potential after a breakout 2025 season. Cooper is a solid playmaker against the pass, though he is coming off an injury.
With no Ohio State, Oregon, or Indiana on the schedule, Penn State does not face many overwhelming passing offenses this year. USC and Washington should be the toughest tests for the secondary, and one of them is at Beaver Stadium.
Losing Tony Rojas to injury was not the deciding factor in Penn State’s 2025 meltdown, but his absence was felt immediately. Rojas tore his ACL after the Oregon game, and the Nittany Lions immediately gave up 42 points to UCLA the following game. He is a dynamic playmaker against the run and pass and the unquestioned leader of a rebuilt Penn State linebacker corps. There are a lot of questions around Penn State’s front seven, so Rojas’ health will be vital to the success of this defense. If he returns to form, the Nittany Lions should have one of the top linebackers in the conference.
Penn State is on its fifth defensive coordinator in the last six seasons, but D’Anton Lynn’s track record speaks for itself. He inherited a UCLA defense that finished No. 87 in total defense in 2022 and elevated them to No. 10 in 2023. When Lincoln Riley poached him away to coach the defense at USC, he took a Trojans defense that was a complete disaster when he arrived and made them serviceable immediately. Hiring Lynn appears to be a good fit for 2026 Penn State. With new players at all three levels of the defense and roughly half of last season’s production gone, the Nittany Lions need someone who can provide results on defense right away. The schedule is favorable and there are enough veteran players on the roster to make the transition smooth for Lynn.

Penn State has a long and convoluted college football history that includes extended periods of success, brief periods of inactivity, and a whole bunch of drama in between the lines. But everything they've encountered in their nearly 140-year history has led them to the 2026 season, where Matt Campbell will be at the helm for the first time as the team embarks on a redemption journey.
They had a catastrophic 2025 season that resulted in a coaching change, an abandoned 2027 recruiting class and a lot of uncertainty about the program. Fast forward to today and it's a miracle that the outlook on the Nittany Lions has flipped so dramatically. USA Today's Paul Myerberg ranked all 18 Big Ten programs and had Penn State listed at No. 5.
It doesn't help the school's case that the conference has been on a national championship run as of late, with Michigan, Ohio State, and Indiana all achieving glory in consecutive years since 2024. Unsurprisingly, those are three of the teams ranked above the Nittany Lions, with the Oregon Ducks being the only team missing a national championship that has a better outlook.
It's no slight, with the team having a top-5 record in the nation over the last five seasons and clinching back-to-back College Football Playoff berths. Penn State earned a trip to the tournament in 2024, but missed it during the tumult of last season.
Getting back to the playoffs so quickly would be a dream come true, but finishing fifth in the Big Ten likely wouldn't be good enough to make it. Wherever they land, though, Nittany Lions fans should rejoice over how much the team's hopes have changed in such a short amount of time.

One of the underrated aspects of college football recruiting is scouting which players have the best chance to develop. It's easy to look at an athlete's rating and pursue them based on that, but it's an entirely different story to identify a lower-profile talent and mold them into the four- or five-star recruit that they have a chance to be.
Penn State snagged a pair of recruits in recent weeks, four-star prospects David Tarawallie and Elijah Guertin, but those ratings weren't a consensus among all recruiting services. Rivals initially had them listed as three-star players, also excluding them from the prestigious Rivals300, a comprehensive list of the 300 best prospects in the nation.
Now, the trusted institution has given each player their fourth star and added both of them to the Rivals300. Tarawallie is flirting with the top half of the list at No. 168 and Guertin just barely made it at No. 298. The exciting piece of this for the Nittany Lions is that each player has another season of high school football to continue making a strong impression and climbing up the list.
With most of the team's top recruits off the board for the Class of 2027, a sure fire way to improve its standing nationally is to have players add stars or ascend lists like these. Let's see just how high Tarawallie and Guertin can climb before they set foot in Happy Valley next year.
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