Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin could aim to bring Penn State offensive lineman Anthony Donkoh with him to Blaksburg. (Syndication: Hanover Evening Sun)
Penn State Football head coach Matt Campbell and the new Penn State staff have been hard at work building Penn State’s 2026 roster.
Since the transfer portal opened on January 2nd, Penn State has received commitments from 35 total players, including 22 former Iowa State players.
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While Campbell and staff have done a great job addressing some of the holes in the Nittany Lions‘ 2026 roster (defensive tackle and safety, for example, there are still remaining holes that should be filled before Penn State kicks off the 2026 season.
Here are three positions that Penn State needs to continue to address in the transfer portal.
1. Offensive Tackle: Protecting the Blindside
Penn State lost four of its five starting offensive linemen from the 2025 team to the NFL draft this offseason.
The lone remaining starter, Anthony Donkoh, could play at either offensive tackle or offensive guard next season. Penn State did pick up commitments from Iowa State tackles Will Tompkins, Kuol Kuol and Tyson Huff (who could play either guard or tackle) from division II Tiffin University.
Penn State Football could use to add another few pieces at offensive tackle in the portal to build out competition and depth before spring ball begins.
2. Defensive End: The “Edge” Crisis
While the Nittany Lions have been able to completely reset the defensive tackle room through the transfer portal, Campbell and staff have been less successful at defensive end.
After losing Dani Dennis-Sutton to the NFL draft and Zuriah Fisher, Chaz Coleman, Daniel Jennings, Jaylen Harvey, Cortez Harris, and Mylachi Williams to the transfer portal, Penn State could use to bring in a few more edge players to add to the roster before the 2026 season begins.
There are a few high-ceiling players that are returning at the position and could compete for the starting spots in Max Granville and Yvan Kemajou. Penn Sate also picked up an intriguing, high-upside freshman, Alexander McPherson, in the transfer portal from Colorado.
However, with as many bodies as the Nittany Lions lost in the transfer portal, it would be prudent for Campbell and staff to bring in a few more players, including an experienced veteran, at the position.
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3. Offensive Guard: Building the Interior Engine
Like offensive tackle above, Penn State could use bodies for depth at offensive guard.
This position and the offensive tackle position will go hand in hand because the Nittany Lions have a few players, Donkoh and Huff, that have positional versatility and could play either position. At guard, Penn State received a great return announcement from Cooper Cousins, who should earn one of the starting spots at guard.
The other could be filled by all-Big 12 guard Trevor Buhr, who followed Matt Campbell from Iowa State. Penn State still could use depth pieces, however, to build out competition and set the Nittany Lions up for success at the position for future years.
With 35 transfer players already committed during this transfer portal window, much of the Penn State staff’s work is already done building the 2026 roster.
If the Nittany Lions are able to pick up a handful of additional pieces at these three positions before spring ball begins, it would go a long way to bolstering the 2026 roster for both next season and for 2027 and beyond.
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- 3 Critical Gaps Matt Campbell Must Fix to Finalize the 2026 Penn State Football Roster | Transfer Portal Update - January 14, 2026
- Ranking Penn State’s Defensive Portal Haul: Marcus Neal Jr. and Jeremiah Cooper Set to Anchor 2026 Secondary - January 12, 2026
- Ranking Penn State’s Instant-Impact Transfers: Why Rocco Becht and James Peoples are Keys to 2026 - January 9, 2026
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