Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Zion Tracy (Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images)
Penn State Football’s roster transformation is now at least mostly complete as new Penn State head coach Matt Campbell brought in a horde of Iowa State and other transfer portal players to offset the Nittany Lions‘ losses in the portal and to the NFL draft.
While Penn State may pick up another piece or two before the season begins, 99 percent of the 2026 roster should be finalized at this point without a post-spring transfer portal window this year.
Heading into spring practice, here are the three deepest positions on the Nittany Lions roster heading into spring ball.
“Finalized & Loaded”: Evaluating Penn State’s Deepest Units
Tight End: The “Three-Headed Monster”
Despite losing two of the Nittany Lions’ top tight ends from last season (Khalil Dinkins and Luke Reynolds, Penn State still has at least three starting-caliber tight ends in the room heading into 2026.
Andrew Rappleyea broke out for the Nittany Lions late last season after recovering from an injury that cost him most of the 2024 season.
His return was a priority for Matt Campbell and offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Taylor Mouser, and a massive retention win this offseason.
Besides Rappleyea, Penn State brought in two excellent tight ends from Iowa State in the winter transfer portal window.
Iowa State starter Ben Brahmer was one of the top tight ends in the transfer portal this offseason, with 37 catches for 446 yards and six touchdowns last season.
Gabe Burkle was also impressive in 2025 before suffering an injury last season.
Between the three of these tight ends, Penn State is in a very good spot at the position heading into the 2026 season.
Running Back: Life After Singleton and Allen
Yes, Penn State lost two of the best backs in Penn State football history this offseason with Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen exhausting their eligibility and heading to the NFL draft.
However, with two impressive transfer portal pickups, Penn State is still in a good spot at the position heading into next season.
First, Carson Hansen from Iowa State was a bell cow for the Cyclones late in the 2025 season, ending the season with five straight 100-yard games.
Penn State also picked up James Peoples from Ohio State, who could thrive with an uptick in touches next season.
Campbell also retained Quinton Martin Jr., a very versatile back whose best game of his career came in Penn State’s bowl game against Clemson.
Fourth year back Corey Smith is also returning for the Nittany Lions, giving Campbell, Mouser, and running backs coach Savon Higgins plenty of weapons heading into 2026.
Rebuilding Penn State’s “No-Fly Zone”: Cornerback Depth
Yet another position where Penn State lost a wealth of talent in the transfer portal this offseason (AJ Harris and Elliot Washington), Terry Smith has once again compiled a talented group at cornerback heading into 2026.
Campbell and Smith retained two extremely talented freshmen from Penn State’s 2025 team in Daryus Dixson and Jamir Joseph.
Pair those two with seniors Audavion Collins and Zion Tracy and transfer cornerback/ safety Jeremiah Cooper, Penn State’s defensive backfield is in great hands next season.
Heading into spring ball, Penn State will need to develop some positions to be more competitive in 2026.
However, at these three positions, spring practice will all be about staying healthy and preserving the impressive depth the Nittany Lions have.
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