For the Palestra’s 100th anniversary, Penn State is returning to the storied arena to face a Keystone State rival, Pittsburgh.
The matchup will be Nov. 8, and it’s the second straight season in which the programs have played at a neutral site — they faced off at the Giant Center in Hershey on Dec. 21, 2025. Penn State holds an 76-73 advantage all-time over Pitt.
This is also the fifth consecutive season in which the Nittany Lions will play at the Palestra.
— Penn State Men’s Basketball (@PennStateMBB) July 9, 2026
“Games like this are what college basketball is all about,” Penn State coach Mike Rhoades wrote in a release. “Great history, passionate fan bases, and high-level competition. The Palestra is one of the most iconic venues in college basketball, and the opportunity to celebrate its 100th anniversary while renewing an in-state rivalry for the 150th time makes this a special event for everyone connected to our program.
Pitt coach Jeff Capel added: “Every basketball player and coach in this country understands the significance of playing at the Palestra. It’s one of the great venues in the history of the sport, and to play Penn State there in its 100th Anniversary year is a truly unique opportunity. Our players will be walking into a building with a century of history behind it, and after the atmosphere we saw in Hershey last year, I can’t wait to see the energy our fans bring to a place like the Palestra.”
The matchup is the second major addition to the Palestra’s 100th anniversary slate announced this week. On Tuesday, Penn announced that its annual Cathedral Classic will expand from four to five teams, ditching its round-robin format. The event, which is Nov. 27-28, will feature host Penn, La Salle, Bucknell, Buffalo, and Towson.
Penn announced in January that the Palestra’s anniversary celebration will begin in late August.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — It’s common for college football players to follow their head coach to a new gig. But it’s not always a given.
When Brian Kelly left Notre Dame to become LSU’s head coach in 2022, only one player followed him to Death Valley. It was a silent showcase of support.
So when Matt Campbell left Iowa State in December to become Penn State’s coach, his players didn’t have to follow him. But they did, and they did so in droves.
“It just speaks to the type of guy Coach Campbell is,” said junior safety Marcus Neal Jr., an Iowa State transfer. “It shows that players really want to play for him. He’s a really good guy. I look at him as another father figure. I can go to him for anything, ask him for anything.”
Twenty-four Iowa State players transferred to Penn State, which marked the largest contingent of players in the 2026 transfer window to follow their head coach to a new school. The next closest team had 18 players follow former North Texas coach Eric Morris to Oklahoma State.
Why did so many Cyclones follow Campbell to Happy Valley? The answer is simple: He is who he says he is.
“Campbell is a great people person. He was the main reason I went to Iowa State,” said redshirt junior offensive lineman Trevor Buhr. “He’s genuine. When he says something, he does it. He is one of the best leaders I’ve ever met. He’s honest, and he’s true to himself. There’s no what-ifs. You’re getting what you’re getting from him, and it’s been consistent [since] the first time I talked to him.”
Campbell led the Cyclones to a 72-55 record during his 10-year run as coach. But it was his off-the-field leadership — what he does beyond football — that drove dozens of players and staff members to Penn State.
The 46-year-old coach has an open-door policy. Players can come and go from his office as they please. Those who played for him at Iowa State said his genuine personality and accountable leadership style made them comfortable to go to him, football-related or not.
That open-door policy extended to his house in Ames, Iowa, where his players would run pickup basketball games or eat a meal with other teammates.
And believe it or not, Campbell can hoop, too.
“Coach Campbell is a big relationships guy,” said senior defensive back Jamison Patton. “It’s an open-door policy. All the guys go over [to his house], and we know we’re going to hoop, hang out, get some food, just be around each other. The more we’re around each other, the more our relationship grows as a team, and especially with the coaches.”
Added Neal: “[Campbell] got a nice little shot on him. He gets picked up. You ain’t going to pick somebody up if they’re not good.”
Before Campbell officially accepted the Penn State job, he met with his Iowa State players to inform them of his decision and offered a heartfelt explanation on why he decided to leave. It was a moment of raw emotion that was difficult for Campbell, but he wanted to say goodbye in person.
Several players said that final meeting replicated the type of person Campbell is. And it’s why a large portion of his players knew instantly they would follow their coach to Happy Valley.
“There was never a doubt in my mind that I was going to go somewhere else,” said redshirt senior defensive back Jeremiah Cooper, who played four seasons under Campbell at Iowa State. “Once I hit the portal, I knew I was coming to Penn State. Coach Campbell changed my life, not just as a player, but as a man. He grows young men into men, and that’s all I can ask for as a coach and as a leader.”
Penn State alumnus Dan Barefoot adjusted to a new full-time career when a winter in West Chester, Pa., left him searching for something more. A Google search at age 26 introduced him to skeleton, a sport he would quietly pursue before it carried him to the Olympic stage.
The 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games were Barefoot’s first time competing at the Olympics, and it was an unprecedented road. He had recently graduated from an intensive five-year landscape architecture program, often resulting in him spending six to eight hours in the studio per day. The transition to post-graduate life in West Chester provided Barefoot with more free time, leading to his discovery of skeleton.
“I started looking up winter sports, and thank you to bobsled for being alphabetically at the top. I clicked on that, and I read about it, and I was like, ‘Man, I think I could try out for this,’” Barefoot said.
And what began as curiosity quickly became a personal challenge, one he chose to pursue quietly.
“I wasn’t telling anybody,” said Barefoot, who competed in the first week of the Games but did not medal. “I wasn’t telling my friends, co-workers, or family.”
Much of what Barefoot relied on in skeleton, he traces back to the habits formed long before he ever touched a sled. The sport rewards sustained focus after the visible action ends, traits he learned through years of detail-heavy academic work.
“You have to have attention to detail and interest the whole time,” said Barefoot, a native of Johnstown, Pa. “We only go down the track for like a minute, but to get good at that, it’s like hours and hours and hours of mentally doing it. Pretending you’re doing it, lying on a sled, watching YouTube videos from past races, working on your equipment, which is way more time than a lot of people prefer.”
This progress brought unexpected pressures, and confidence became something to manage as carefully as speed or technique.
“You can quickly lose confidence in what you’re doing,” Barefoot said. “You can be the same guy, no issues physically, exactly the same, and play completely different from day to day, because it’s all in your head. So it’s balancing all those small pieces [that] is actually the hardest thing.”
As his training progressed, the idea became reality. Barefoot earned enough points to qualify for a tryout at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, N.Y., marking the first moment he felt compelled to share what he had been working toward.
“I just witnessed, I encouraged, and I was amazed the whole time,” said David, Dan’s brother, on his journey toward the Olympics.
“We only go down the track for like a minute, but to get good at that, it’s like hours and hours and hours of mentally doing it,” Dan Barefoot said.
For much of his career, that balance was driven internally. But this season, Barefoot noticed a change.
“This year, the external motivation has ramped up, and I wasn’t really expecting it,” he said. “When I showed up here, it felt more like a win for my community than it was for me.”
Penn State overseas
While his family played a central role, the support behind Barefoot extended far beyond them. Two Penn State students express what it means to have Dan Barefoot compete in the Olympics
“As part of the Penn State community, sports are a huge part of our campus culture. It’s truly inspiring to see an alum compete in the Olympics and watch the community rally in support.” shared Lucas Conlon, a senior. “ It’s thrilling to see a Nittany Lion on the big screen.”
Nick Harrison, a junior, added “It’s so amazing to see Penn State represented 4,000 miles away from home. I do triathlons, so seeing Dan accomplish this after college is really motivating.”
For Barefoot, those reactions underscored his unconventional path. He didn’t discover skeleton until after college, a fact he says he hopes resonates with people watching from afar.
“Oh, I love that,” Barefoot said. “I didn’t even try out until I was 26. It’s never too late.”
The support extends further. Barefoot’s social media has been filled with messages from co-workers, friends, and even celebrities, including Jason Kelce and Flavor Flav.
“We’re talking to celebrities, people that you watch growing up, people you see on TV and now they’re dapping you up every time you see them,” Barefoot said.
Penn State, Dan Barefoot’s alma mater, was well-represented at these Games to watch him compete.
Beyond the Olympics, Barefoot said he is looking forward to rebalancing time between his work and the people closest to him. The conversation eventually turned lighter, touching on his last name and the unexpected ways it has followed him onto a much larger stage.
“I feel like it’s one of those names that really would connect,” Barefoot said. “I’ve reached out to a couple partnerships. It’d be awesome.”
The idea made him laugh, but it also reflected how much his world has expanded through a few minutes of competition built on years of preparation.
Barefoot arrived at the Olympics expecting to compete only in the men’s skeleton event, where he finished 20th with a combined time of 3 minutes, 49.86 seconds. The result marked the culmination of a journey that began quietly years earlier, far from Olympic ice.
Then, a day before the mixed skeleton event, his Games unexpectedly continued.
Paired with Kelly Curtis, Barefoot returned to the track for the mixed competition, where each athlete completed one run and their times were combined. The duo finished 10th, with Curtis recording a 1:01.30 and Barefoot posting a 1:00.13 for Team USA.
For Barefoot, the extra run offered another marker of how far an unplanned path had taken him.
Penn State hockey star Gavin McKenna, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL draft, will be due in court next on March 11, according to Centre County Courthouse documents.
McKenna, who is facing three charges relating to an alleged assault in State College on Jan. 31, was initially set to have his preliminary hearing on Wednesday. He is alleged to have punched a 21-year-old man twice in the face, resulting in a fractured jaw that required corrective surgery. According to police, the incident occurred after a verbal exchange between the two on the 100 block of South Pugh Street in the hours after Penn State’s outdoor hockey game against Michigan State at Beaver Stadium.
The preliminary hearing’s postponement comes less than a week after prosecutors dropped an initial felony charge of aggravated assault. The Centre County District Attorney’s Office and State College Police said in a statement that “a review of the video does not support a conclusion that Gavin McKenna acted with the intent to cause serious bodily injury or with reckless indifference to the value of human life,“ which is the standard for probable cause for aggravated assault in Pennsylvania.
McKenna, 18, now faces a misdemeanor charge of simple assault, as well as charges of harassment and disorderly conduct for engaging in fighting. The simple assault charge carries a maximum of two years in prison, while fines are attached to the three charges. He remains released on $20,000 unsecured bail.
With the preliminary hearing postponed, McKenna is expected to play for the No. 6 Nittany Lions on Friday at No. 2 Michigan, a source confirmed to the Inquirer. That game will mark Penn State’s first action since the alleged assault. Penn State’s regular season ends on March 6, with the Big Ten tournament set to commence on March 11, the same day as McKenna’s preliminary hearing.
Penn State’s Gavin McKenna, who is projected to be the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, has 32 points in 24 games so far as a freshman.
“We are aware that charges have been filed; however, as this is an ongoing legal matter, we will not have any further comment,” Penn State said in a statement on Feb. 4.
McKenna’s adviser Pat Brisson has not commented publicly on the matter.
A native of Whitehorse, Yukon, the Canadian winger is ranked No. 1 on the NHL’s 2026 Central Scouting list among North American skaters. After a new rule was passed granting Canadian Hockey League players NCAA eligibility this season, McKenna left the CHL in the summer to play college hockey.
McKenna, a freshman, is one of the biggest recruits to ever play college hockey and one of the faces of the changing landscape of the sport. He has 11 goals and 32 points in 24 games this season for Penn State, which reached its first Frozen Four in school history last season and entered this season as one of the favorites to win the national championship.
Hannah Prince hasn’t always been a standout Division I coach, nor has she always led with the conviction she does now as the Penn State field hockey coach. But she’s long been around the sport — starting nearly 30 years ago in Gorham, Maine.
When Prince was 6 years old, she made a declaration: She would make her high school’s varsity field hockey team. She did just that, which sparked a successful four-year career at Massachusetts.
The Minutewomen went 56-33 and won three Atlantic 10 titles during Prince’s four-year career as a starting defenseman. Following the team’s NCAA Tournament quarterfinal run in 2013, Prince, a senior at the time, earned National Field Hockey Coaches Association first-team all-region and A-10 first-team all-conference honors.
Prince continued playing after college and was captain of the U.S. women’s indoor team for six years, leading the team to gold at the 2017 Pan American Cup.
Prince’s captaincy meant holding others accountable. It meant leading by example and never asking teammates to do something she wouldn’t do herself.
“I like motivating people. I like building relationships with them that are strong, so they know I care,” Prince said. “I chose to work for some really great people who believed in me and allowed me to have a hand in certain technical and tactical areas.”
Hannah Prince comes to Penn State after a historic run at St. Joe’s.
Success has followed Prince at every stop of her coaching journey, which started in 2015 when New Hampshire made the America East title game in her first of two seasons as an assistant coach.
Prince later joined St. Joseph’s as an assistant during the program’s first run to the NCAA Tournament in 2017. She then helped Louisville to the Final Four in the spring of 2021 before returning to Hawk Hill in 2022, this time as head coach.
One of the “great people” she worked for was Justine Sowry, her coach at UMass, who has spent the last 14 seasons as Louisville’s coach. Prince credited Sowry for introducing her to coaching and for teaching her the patience required to build a championship-level program.
Sowry lauded her former player for different reasons, ones that extend beyond the field.
“[Prince] is an extrovert. She’s got that energy. She bounces around, and so many people are drawn to her,” Sowry said. “She just shows so much initiative. She took a lot of the weight off my plate just by being who she is … I don’t think I would have been able to get through [the 2020 COVID-19 season] if Hannah weren’t on my staff. She was an absolute godsend for so many more reasons other than just coaching hockey.”
After a final ride under Sowry’s tutelage, Prince accepted the head coaching gig at St. Joe’s, where she went 64-14 in four seasons. The Hawks made four NCAA Tournament appearances and won two Atlantic 10 regular-season titles and four A-10 tournament titles.
In 2023, Prince navigated the Hawks to their first-ever NCAA Tournament win. The next season, Prince guided them to the most wins in program history (20) and the NCAA title game, which marked the first time in school history that any St. Joe’s team had competed for a national championship.
Hannah Prince led the 2024 St. Joseph’s field hockey team to the NCAA title game, a first for any program in Hawks history.
She praised the Philadelphia area’s support during the Hawks’ title pursuit. She also lauded the resolve of her team, which embraced a “why not us” mentality as the tournament’s underdogs.
Prince built the Hawks into a field hockey contender and galvanized area support for her team on its surge toward a championship — a showcase of her program-building prowess.
“[Prince] is passionate, she’s driven, she’s a competitor, and she’s a proven winner,” Sowry said. “She can run a program. She’s got the X’s and O’s covered. And even areas that she might feel deficient in, she has the confidence to bring in coaches that can complement her or make her better.”
Now, she’s ready for her next opportunity: Bringing a once-great Penn State program back into contention.
Under former coach Charlene Morett-Curtiss, the Nittany Lions went 524-219-9 and made eight NCAA Tournament appearances. But in the three seasons since her 2023 retirement, Penn State won just 24 of its 51 games and missed the NCAA Tournament each season.
Prince wants to win national championships in Happy Valley. And that starts with creating a culture of accountability and pride.
“I want [Penn State] to be described as a bunch of empowered, strong, and fearless women who are playing together for a collective reason, because they want to play for each other,” Prince said. “They want to play for those who came before them. They want to play for that legacy.”
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State faced a delayed start to the year’s first transfer window.
While most football programs were plotting next year’s rosters, coach Matt Campbell, who was named the Nittany Lions’ head coach on Dec. 5 after 10 seasons at the helm for Iowa State, was busy hiring his staff.
First he retained interim head coach Terry Smith. Then he brought several of his Iowa State assistants with him to Happy Valley. And a few weeks later, his staff was finalized. But he was behind, playing catch-up in building next season’s roster.
Campbell didn’t care, though. And neither did his staff. Because they weren’t interested in a race for the best talent or for the recruits with the most stars.
They were focused on finding the right players for their program. They recruited individuals who embody the grit and passion that have molded Penn State football into a perennial contender. And in their eyes, they accomplished that.
“We went with a mentality of not wavering from who we want this football team to be — value systems of young men that love the sport of football, young men that love Penn State, and most importantly, young men who also understand the value of an education from this institution,” Campbell said. “Those core values were really critical for us to build this football team.”
Building through the portal
Penn State fired coach James Franklin in October, which resulted in 46 players transferring this winter. But transfer season wasn’t all bad for the Nittany Lions, who added 40 players via the portal — 24 of whom came from Iowa State.
Penn State’s transfer class, which ranks No. 6 in ESPN’s 2026 transfer portal rankings, is headlined by Rocco Becht, 22. A three-year starter with a 24-12 record at Iowa State, Becht completed 60.6% of his passes for 9,274 yards and 64 touchdowns.
In 2024, Becht was an All-Big 12 honorable mention selection after quarterbacking the Cyclones to their winningest season in program history.
Campbell said he believes the quarterback and head coach must be “tied at the hip.” And he thinks his relationship with Becht, who last season played through a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder, exemplifies the connectivity essential to creating a successful program.
Matt Campbell said quarterback Rocco Becht is as “competitive as any football player I’ve been around.”
“I believe Penn State football is [about] integrity, character, class, excellence, and grit. [Becht] embodies every one of those traits,” Campbell said. “He’s as tough and as competitive as any football player I’ve been around … I’m really excited for him to continue to lead and grow within our football program.”
Taylor Mouser, Penn State’s offensive coordinator who spent the last two seasons in the same role at Iowa State, brings continued camaraderie with his experienced quarterback. But he wants more from the position.
His philosophy with his offensive players resembles Campbell’s roster-building philosophy. He wants a unified offense filled with “unselfish guys” who are connected to their teammates, coaches, and community.
“I want guys who can provide connection for their teammates. I want guys who can provide energy to the people on the field,” Mouser said. “Your defense is going to play better when they believe in the quarterback. So if you’re going to be a quarterback for us [at Penn State], you’d better have relationships with everybody on the team.”
Creating a culture
Every coach wants to establish a winning culture — one built on hard work, accountability, and trust. But Campbell understands that building a culture isn’t easy, and it takes years to build trust.
“Culture is not words. It’s how you live, it’s how you act, it’s how you carry yourself,” Campbell said. “… It’s all about the people. It’s about aligning the team and the people together. That’s one of the things that I at least know I can look myself in the mirror and [say], ‘We brought the right leaders of young men into our football program.’”
One of those culture builders is Ryan Clanton, Penn State’s offensive line coach who spent the last three seasons in the same role at Iowa State. The former Oregon offensive lineman said Campbell’s success stems from his character, which resembles a “normal dude.”
Clanton called Campbell the easiest coach to work for in college football. It’s why, when Campbell asked Clanton to follow him to Happy Valley, the line coach’s answer was simple: “What time does the plane leave?”
“[Campbell] is the best head coach in the nation. Wherever he went, I was going to go at any level,” Clanton said. “What people don’t see is that he’s very caring. He’ll talk to the janitor for all hours of the night. He can connect with anybody. And he likes to have fun … It’s a blessing to be with him.”
Penn State hockey star Gavin McKenna remains in hot water after allegedly assaulting a 21-year-old male last weekend in State College. But the temperature cooled a bit on Friday after prosecutors dropped the felony aggravated assault charge against McKenna, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL draft.
The decision comes two days after McKenna, 18, was charged with aggravated assault and three other related crimes for allegedly punching a man outside of a parking garage in the 100 block of South Pugh Street in State College. The altercation came hours after McKenna had played and tallied a goal and two assists in No. 6 Penn State’s 5-4 overtime loss to No. 2 Michigan State in the first-ever outdoor hockey game at Beaver Stadium.
“In order to establish probable cause for the crime of Aggravated Assault, the Commonwealth must establish that a person acted with the intent to cause serious bodily injury or acted recklessly under circumstances showing an extreme indifference to the value of human life,“ read Friday’s statement from the Centre County District Attorney’s Office.
”Both the District Attorney’s Office and the State College Police Department have reviewed video evidence of this incident and do not believe that a charge of Aggravated Assault is supported by the evidence. Accordingly, the District Attorney’s Office will be withdrawing the felony count of Aggravated Assault and correcting the record regarding the injuries suffered by the victim. A review of the video does not support a conclusion that Gavin McKenna acted with the intent to cause serious bodily injury or with reckless indifference to the value of human life.”
BREAKING UPDATE | Prosecutors in Centre County say they will be withdrawing the felony aggravated assault charge against Penn State's star hockey player Gavin McKenna.https://t.co/ana1PIzTcbpic.twitter.com/wZYORkx7Rp
According to State College Police, McKenna allegedly punched a man in the face twice Saturday night, resulting in a fractured jaw that required corrective surgery. The altercation came after an exchange of words between the victim and his friends and McKenna. Friday’s statement clarified that the man did not lose a tooth as previously reported and confirmed that the victim is recovering from surgery.
Penn State freshman Gavin McKenna in in the top 20 in the nation in scoring with 32 points.
While the aggravated assault charge was the most severe charge that McKenna faced, and carried a maximum prison sentence of 20 years, he is still facing a misdemeanor charge of simple assault, as well as charges of harassment and disorderly conduct for fighting. The simple assault charge carries a maximum of two years in prison, while fines are attached to the three remaining charges.
McKenna, who was released on $20,000 unsecure bail, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 11 at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pa.
Penn State sent the following statement to The Inquirer after the charges were filed on Wednesday: “We are aware that charges have been filed; however, as this is an ongoing legal matter, we will not have any further comment.”
The Inquirer also attempted to reach out to McKenna’s adviser, Pat Brisson of CAA, but has yet to receive a response.
McKenna, a native of Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, is ranked No. 1 on the NHL’s 2026 Central Scouting list among North American skaters. The Penn State freshman, who was considered one of the biggest college hockey recruits ever, has 11 goals and 32 points in 24 games this season for the Nittany Lions. McKenna’s playing status is currently unknown, with Penn State’s next game scheduled for Feb. 13 at Michigan.
Penn State winger Gavin McKenna, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL draft, was charged with aggravated assault and related crimes Wednesday, after allegedly assaulting a 21-year-old man during an altercation in State College over the weekend, according to a statement released by the State College Police Department.
The arrest, first reported by Onward State, a Penn State student-run blog, stemmed from an incident hours after McKenna played in Penn State’s outdoor game against Michigan State at Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon. According to the local police department, at approximately 8:45 p.m. in the 100 block of South Pugh Street, he allegedly punched the male in the face twice, resulting in a fractured jaw and a lost tooth and requiring corrective surgery and his mouth being wired shut.
State College Police Department has released a statement regarding the arrest of Gavin McKenna. He was arraigned and released on bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for next Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/wAldz58Sb0
The felony, which is defined as “attempts to cause serious bodily injury or causes injury with extreme indifference,” carries a 20-year maximum sentence in Pennsylvania. The misdemeanor carries a maximum of two years, and fines are also attached to each of the four counts.
McKenna, a freshman at Penn State, was arraigned before District Judge Casey M. McClain and released on $20,000 unsecure bail. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing the morning of Feb. 11 at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pa.
Penn State officials acknowledged the arrest on Wednesday evening, telling The Inquirer, “We are aware that charges have been filed; however, as this is an ongoing legal matter, we will not have any further comment.”
McKenna’s adviser, Pat Brisson, was not immediately available for comment.
Penn State forward Gavin McKenna was projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL draft.
Hours before the alleged assault on Saturday, McKenna scored a goal and added two assists in the No. 6 Nittany Lions’ 5-4 overtime loss to the No. 2 Spartans.
A native of Whitehorse, Yukon, McKenna is ranked No. 1 on the NHL’s 2026 Central Scouting list among North American skaters.
After a new rule was passed granting Canadian Hockey League players NCAA eligibility this season, McKenna left the CHL this summer to play college hockey. The freshman, who is one of the biggest recruits to ever play college hockey and one of the faces of the changing landscape of the sport, has 11 goals and 32 points in 24 games this season.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Matt Campbell completed his first recruiting class as the head football coach at Penn State, and the team welcomed 55 newcomers, including 15 recruits in the class of 2026, four of whom put pen to paper on national signing day.
Penn State’s class is ranked No. 41 nationally and No. 10 in the Big Ten, according to 247Sports. Many of the players in Campbell’s class were signed before Wednesday’s national signing day. He landed 40 players from the transfer portal, 24 of whom came from Iowa State.
“I feel like we went with a mentality of not wavering from who we want this football team to be,” Campbell said at a news conference. “Young men that love the sport of football, young men that love Penn State, and I would say, most importantly, young men also that know, they understand the value of an education from this institution. Those core values were really critical for us to kind of build this football team forward.”
2026 class
Penn State’s class took a hit during the early signing period while the program continued its search for a head coach. Eleven pledges flipped to Virginia Tech to join James Franklin. Malvern Prep edge rusher Jackson Ford and Nazareth’s Peyton Falzone, a three-star quarterback, were the only two to sign early with the Nittany Lions.
Since then, Penn State had an additional nine recruits sign, and each of Wednesday’s signees, which included Elijah Reeder, Keian Kaiser, Pete Eglitis, and Lucas Tenbrock, were originally committed to play for Campbell at Iowa State.
Reeder, a Bayville, N.J., native, is a four-star edge rusher and the fourth-best prospect in New Jersey, according to 247Sports. In his senior season at Central Regional High School, Reeder recorded 50 tackles and eight sacks. Reeder is listed at 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds.
The defensive lineman’s other FBS offers came from Iowa State and Missouri.
Eglitis, an offensive lineman, is from Columbus, Ohio. The three-star 6-7 prospect earned all-Ohio honors in 2024 and 2025, as he helped lead Bishop Watterson High School to back-to-back state championships. In addition to flipping from Iowa State, Eglitis also chose Penn State over Louisville, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, and Missouri, among others.
Kaiser is a linebacker from Sidney, Neb. The three-star recruit was a multisport athlete at Sidney High School, participating in the high jump and the discus. In his junior year, the 6-4 Kaiser recorded 127 tackles and two interceptions.
A native of St. Charles, Ill., Tenbrock is the sixth-best punter in this year’s recruiting class, according to the composite rankings of ESPN, Rivals.com, and 247Sports. Tenbrock’s only offer came from Campbell at Iowa State.
While most of the four- and five-star recruits are already committed to schools by national signing day, Penn State was on the losing end of one recruiting battle on Wednesday. The Nittany Lions made a late push to persuade Samson Gash to come to Happy Valley instead of Michigan State, but the four-star wideout and Michigan native chose to stay closer to home.
Ford is the only Philadelphia-area talent in the class of 2026.
The majority of Penn State’s roster in 2026 will be transfers.
Campbell signed 40 players from the portal. The Nittany Lions likely will need the veteran presence, as they lost 47 members of last year’s team to the portal after finishing 7-6 and firing Franklin in the middle of the season.
Ethan Grunkemeyer perhaps was the most impactful of the outgoing transfers. Grunkemeyer took over after starting quarterback after Drew Allar suffered a season-ending ankle injury in October. Grunkemeyer, who passed for 1,339 yards and eight touchdowns in 2025, followed Franklin to Virginia Tech.
Campbell turned to a familiar player to fill the hole at quarterback in Rocco Becht.
Becht spent three seasons as the starter under Campbell at Iowa State. He logged two 3,000 passing-yard seasons and chose to follow his old coach for his final year of eligibility.
“What I believe Penn State football is — integrity, character, class, excellence, grit — [Becht] embodies every one of those traits,” Campbell said. “And so to me, I just felt like that was such a critical opportunity for him to finish his career with us.”
Becht is not the only former Cyclone expected to have a major impact.
Benjamin Brahmer, a 6-7 tight end who led the Cyclones with 37 catches and six touchdowns last season, will spend his senior season at Penn State. The Nittany Lions also will get Brett Eskildsen and Chase Sowell, last year’s leading receivers at Iowa State. They finished with 526 and 500 yards, respectively. Campbell added the Cyclones’ leading rusher, Carson Hansen (952 yards on 188 carries), to the roster as well.
The Nittany Lions hope the veteran Cyclones can replace the offensive production they lost after running backs Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton declared for the NFL draft.
Former Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht hands off to running back Carson Hansen, who led the team in rushing yards last season. Both will play at Penn State in 2026.
“[Hansen is] durable, he’s tough, he’s physical,” Campbell said. “He’s got great vision. He’s got the ability that if you need him to carry the ball 40 times in a game, he can do it. … And so I think what you’ll get from Carson is a guy that’s about as trusted as you’re going to find.”
Former Cyclones will also impact the defensive side. Campbell landed Iowa State’s leading tacklers in Marcus Neal, a junior defensive back, and Kooper Ebel, a senior linebacker. Both finished last season with 77 tackles, with Neal adding a team-high 11 tackles for loss and two interceptions.
Caleb Bacon, a redshirt senior linebacker who led Iowa State with three sacks last season, also will join Penn State.
While the number of transfers who followed Campbell to Penn State from Iowa State should provide Campbell some proven talent, the first-year coach noted that players will still have to navigate change to be successful in Happy Valley.
“I think there’s competition and there’s the ability to grow, but we’ve got to go grow,” Campbell said. “Every coach in America is going to tell you how great their team is. I’m saying the opposite. We’ve got really great talent, but we’ve got to grow forward. We’re all going through change. We have to figure out who can do it the most consistently.”
Matt Campbell’s first season as Penn State’s football coach will feature five away games, including a visit to Lincoln Financial Field to face Temple in early September.
Penn State’s full 2026 football schedule was released last week. Three of the Nittany Lions’ first four games will be at Beaver Stadium against Marshall (Sept. 5), Buffalo (Sept. 19), and Wisconsin (Sept. 26), which will open Big Ten play for the team.
The Nittany Lions will face K.C. Keeler’s Owls on Sept. 12, the first matchup between the schools since 2016. Penn State holds a 40-4-1 advantage in their series history, which dates back to 1931.
Penn State will visit Northwestern on Oct. 2 for a Friday night matchup at the Wildcats’ newly renovated Ryan Field. The game was moved after originally being scheduled for Oct. 3. Penn State has not played a Friday night game since 2019, when it beat Maryland in College Park, 59-0.
After facing Northwestern, Penn State will host Southern California (Oct. 10), then travel to Ann Arbor to face Michigan (Oct. 17). After a bye week, the Nittany Lions welcome Purdue (Oct. 31), then travel to Seattle to face Washington (Nov. 7) for the first time since the Huskies joined the conference in 2024.
Penn State will round out the schedule with Minnesota (Nov. 14) and Rutgers (Nov. 21) at home before traveling to Maryland to end the regular season against the Terrapins (Nov. 28).
Times and television coverage for each game will be announced later.
