Camp has officially started, and believe it or not we’re just 28 days from the Nittany Lions season opener against Marshall on Sept. 5.

Penn State will certainly look different this season as it brought in 48 total transfers, with 24 of those players coming with Coach Matt Campbell from Iowa State.

So, with all new faces, I figured some area Penn State fans could use a crash course on who is expected to make an impact on the field for the Nittany Lions this season.

Below you will find both an offensive and defensive depth chart. Then, in just a couple of weeks on Aug. 29, I will release the always scrutinized Penn State schedule breakdown and record prediction column, which always seems to garner the attention of a certain group of Notre Dame fans in the Summit Hill region and our former Times News Sports Editor, Emmett McCall.

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK ... Senior Rocco Becht will be handed the keys to offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser’s offense. Becht is one of the winningest (26 wins) active quarterbacks playing in the FBS this season and has thrown for 9,724 career yards and 64 touchdowns. RS Fr. Alex Manske (ISU transfer) will backup Becht and Division III transfer Connor Barry will be the third string signal caller.

RUNNING BACK ... Senior running back Carson Hansen (ISU transfer) is projected to be the starter. Hansen has good size at 6-2, 216 pounds and had a solid year in 2025, rushing for 952 yards and six touchdowns. Ohio State junior transfer James Peoples, who was a highly touted recruit coming out of high school, is also expected to see significant time. Peoples ran for 344 yards and three touchdowns last season. Sophomore Quinton Martin, who rushed for 103 yards in Penn State’s bowl win over Clemson, will be the third string running back. Junior Cam Wallace is also in the mix.

WIDE RECEIVER ... Iowa State transfers in senior Chase Sowell (6-3, 203) and junior Brett Eskildsen (6-1, 198) are expected to start on the outside. Sowell has 1,800 career receiving yards and six receiving scores while Eskildsen caught 30 passes for 526 yards and five touchdowns last season. Sophomore Koby Howard will man the slot and has been the talk of the offseason. He showed flashes last season. Freshman Zay Robinson, Karon Brookins, and Amarion Jackson are also expected to compete for time.

TIGHT END ... Junior Andrew Rappleyea (6-4, 242) returns to lead a talented tight end room. Senior Iowa State transfer Benjamin Brahmer (6-7, 250) had a very good season for the Cyclones, hauling in 37 balls for 446 yards and six touchdowns. Senior Iowa State transfer Gabe Burkle (6-6, 247) is coming off a knee injury but also had a good year in 2025, catching 26 passes for 302 yards. This is one of the more talented tight end groups in the country.

OFFENSIVE LINE ... RS Freshman and former 5-star recruit Malachi Goodman will start at left tackle (6-6, 330) and junior Anthony Donkoh (6-5, 334), who is one of the best offensive linemen in the Big Ten will anchor the right tackle spot. Junior Cooper Cousins (RG, 6-6, 320) and Junior Iowa State transfer Trevor Buhr (LG, 6-4, 318) will start at the guard positions. Texas State transfer in sophomore Brock Riker seems to be one of the steals of the transfer portal season for the Nittany Lions at center. Riker has garnered a lot of offseason attention for how he looked manning the middle for the Penn State offense.

DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE LINE ... Sophomore Max Granville (6-3, 252) and sophomore Yvan Kemajou (6-3, 254) are slated to start at defensive end. Both players are inexperienced, but we’re both 4-star recruits that were held in high regard. Iowa State senior transfer Ikenna Ezeogu (6-5, 273) and Colorado sophomore transfer Alex McPherson (6-6, 254) will also see a ton of time. Freshmen Jackson Ford and Dayshaun Burnett will also be in the mix. Penn State’s defensive tackle room has been overhauled with big and talented run stuffers from the portal. UCLA senior transfer Keanu Williams (6-5, 320), senior UCLA transfer Siale Taupaki (6-3, 326) and Utah junior transfer Dallas Vakalahi (6-3, 327) should make it tough for teams to run the football. Oklahoma State sophomore Nnodim Armstrong (6-2, 310) is one of the strongest players on the team and will serve as the main pass rusher in the middle. Iowa State sophomore transfer Alijah Carnell (6-5, 300) will also be in the mix.

LINEBACKER ... Junior Tony Rojas (6-2, 236) returns after a knee injury derailed his season and arguably Penn State’s season in 2025. Rojas will start at outside linebacker and Iowa State senior transfer Koober Ebel (6-4, 233) is big and fast and will wear the green dot at middle linebacker. Iowa State senior transfer Caleb Bacon (6-4, 242) will also be in the mix as he will be used at linebacker and as a pass rush specialist on the edge. Iowa State junior transfer Cael Brezina and sophomore Alex Tatsch will also be in the mix.

SECONDARY ... Penn State’s secondary should be one of the best in the Big Ten. Senior Zion Tracy could end up being one of the best nickel backs in the country and leads this unit. Returning starter Audavion Collins and sensational sophomore Daryus Dixon will start on the outside at corner. Iowa State transfers in junior Marcus Neal and senior Jermiah Cooper could potentially be one of the best safety duos in the Big Ten. Neal had 77 tackles last year with 11 tackles for loss and two interceptions. Cooper has eight career interceptions and was a preseason All-Big 12 selection a year ago before his season was cut short with a knee injury just four games into 2025.