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.
In a year with so much roster turnover with help from the transfer portal, there will be some notable players returning to Penn State's roster in 2026. One of the key players returning is nickelback Zion Tracy, who will serve as one of the defensive leaders for the Nittany Lions this fall.
Zion Tracy had a bit of a breakout season as he saw his role increase in the Penn State defense in 2025. Tracy started nine of 11 games played for the Nittany Lions, and he ended the year with 32 total tackles. That includes 5 tackles for loss, which was good for fourth on the roster. For a season with so many letdown moments, Tracy was one of the more reliable positive **** ets for the defense overall. He also recorded one sack and forced a fumble. He ended the season with five tackles in the Pinstripe Bowl victory over Clemson, tying his personal career high for a single game.
Perhaps the biggest question for Zion Tracy is whether or not he is equipped to be the top cornerback on the defense. The answer is probably leaning toward the affirmative, but it is a big test for him this season after some key teammates have departed the program to pursue opportunities at new schools this season. Those departures were replaced with some transfers, of course, but Tracy will be looked to as the mainstay for the defensive backfield this fall. Doing so with a new defensive coordinator and defensive scheme can be challenging even for a talented vet like Tracy.
If Penn State is going to have a playoff push this season, it will be in part because Zion Tracy is delivering big hits and coming up with key takeaways. Tracy will be successful if he is used correctly on blitz packages off the edges to create havoc in the backfield by taking down a quarterback or helping to blow up a screen pass situation. Tracy will be successful if he also helps create turnovers, either by taking the ball away through the air or knocking the ball loose for a teammate to pounce.
#tracy #season #players
In a year with so much roster turnover with help from the transfer portal, there will be some notable players returning to Penn State's roster in 2026. One of the key players returning is nickelback Zion Tracy, who will serve as one of the defensive leaders for the Nittany Lions this fall.
Zion Tracy had a bit of a breakout season as he saw his role increase in the Penn State defense in 2025. Tracy started nine of 11 games played for the Nittany Lions, and he ended the year with 32 total tackles. That includes 5 tackles for loss, which was good for fourth on the roster. For a season with so many letdown moments, Tracy was one of the more reliable positive **** ets for the defense overall. He also recorded one sack and forced a fumble. He ended the season with five tackles in the Pinstripe Bowl victory over Clemson, tying his personal career high for a single game.
Perhaps the biggest question for Zion Tracy is whether or not he is equipped to be the top cornerback on the defense. The answer is probably leaning toward the affirmative, but it is a big test for him this season after some key teammates have departed the program to pursue opportunities at new schools this season. Those departures were replaced with some transfers, of course, but Tracy will be looked to as the mainstay for the defensive backfield this fall. Doing so with a new defensive coordinator and defensive scheme can be challenging even for a talented vet like Tracy.
If Penn State is going to have a playoff push this season, it will be in part because Zion Tracy is delivering big hits and coming up with key takeaways. Tracy will be successful if he is used correctly on blitz packages off the edges to create havoc in the backfield by taking down a quarterback or helping to blow up a screen pass situation. Tracy will be successful if he also helps create turnovers, either by taking the ball away through the air or knocking the ball loose for a teammate to pounce.
#tracy #season #players
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