Seven Intriguing Penn State Football Newcomers to Watch

Neal is among the 24 former Iowa State players who spent a stressful 24 hours in December wondering whether Campbell would leave and whether he might follow. After telling his players he had accepted the Penn State job, Campbell met with most individually. Neal was among those he asked to join him in State College.

One of Neal's first questions was, "Who's the defensive coordinator?" Neal said he has developed a quick rapport with D'Anton Lynn, who likes Neal's plug-and-play value at safety and position versatility. He could play a linebacker/safety hybrid role in Lynn's first defense.

"I don't know if there was a better defensive player in the Big 12 last year," Campbell said. "I think what he brings to the table, his physicality, his toughness, his ability to play sideline to sideline."

Receiver Brett Eskildsen

Eskildsen arrived from Iowa State believing he would be among the fastest players on Penn State's roster. "I'm fast, fast," he said, listing his 40-yard dash time in the high 4.3s.

Penn State needs more than speed at the position; it demands receivers who have their quarterback's trust, which Eskildsen does. He averaged 17.5 yards per catch last season, scored five touchdowns and showed big-play skills. Eskildesn generated Iowa State's longest offensive play of the season, a 75-yard reception.

Eskildsen and fellow receiver Chase Sowell give Campbell and Becht plenty of confidence.

"I think that's an area we feel really confident in because, for the last 10 years, that receiver room at Iowa State, that's been our staple," Campbell said. "And I know we're coming to a place where we've kind of got to reshape that a little bit and bring that back to life. "

Tight end Gabe Burkle

Campbell and coordinator Taylor Mouser love to deploy tight ends in their offense. Benjamin Brahmer (Iowa State) and returning Nittany Lion Andrew Rappleyea ( currently injured) will get most of the attention, but watch for Burkle in the fall.

Burkle won't practice this spring as he rehabs from a November torn ACL but sounded ready to carve out a role in the offense. Campbell's a big fan, telling Burkle that he would have a place at Penn State despite the injury.

I think at tight end, you bring in a Mackey Award finalist [in Brahmer], and you pair him with Rapp, who's one of the best tight ends in the country," Campbell said. "Then another NFL tight end in Gabe Burkle who tears his ACL in the Tennessee game, now you'd say he's one of the top 10 tight ends in all of college football."

Linebacker Caleb Bacon

With Lynn more likely to play three linebackers more often, Bacon could be the box linebacker to complement Tony Rojas when he returms. A redshirt senior, Bacon made 68 tackles (9.5 for losses) at Iowa State last season.

Bacon also has the Dom DeLuca story of a former walk-on who becomes a team captain. And Campbell likes what Bacon and Kooper Ebel bring to the linebackers room.

"The years those guys had, I think they played as good as any linebackers in the country last year if you look at the second half of the season with how those guys played with Ebel and Bacon," Campbell said. "hose guys are really talented, high-end football players that are going into their senior year."

Center Brock Riker

Riker is among the more interesting non-Iowa State transfers whom Campbell signed. The Athletic named him a second-team Freshman All-American at Texas State, where he started 12 games and allowed no sacks in 438 pass-rush snaps.

Riker was highly valued in the transfer portal but said he chose Penn State in part because of line coach Ryan Clanton, who made the redshirt freshman a high portal priority. Riker also has developed a quick rapport with Becht.

Defensive lineman Keanu Williams

Williams is one of two big, veteran defensive tackles Campbell and Lynn (who was the Bruins' DC in 2024) plucked from UCLA. Williams, headed into his sixth season, has played at Oregon and UCLA, where he started 11 games last season.

Williams also is 6-5, 320 pounds, which seems to be Penn State's new desired size inside. He said he's still looking for a taco truck to replace those near Brentwood.

Running back James Peoples

If he blossoms, Peoples could be a major portal hit for Penn State. Peoples saw limited action in Ohio State's backfield last season and transferred for a fresh start. Penn State initially didn't seem like a potential destination, especially since Iowa State starter Carson Hansen joined the roster, but Campbell made a strong pitch.

"We were really excited when the James Peoples situation came into play," Campbell said. "James [was a player] we knew of, and as their season ended and his name was going into the transfer portal, there was a lot of excitement from our end. We thought, man, could we get a great complement to Carson? ... He's a downhill runner who's physical and has a really impressive build, but also has got that kind of ability to hit a home run anytime he touches the ball."

Quarterback Alex Manske

A redshirt freshman from Iowa State, Manske will get plenty of reps during the first half of spring drills as Becht works his way back. The Iowa native was a top-20 quarterback recruit in 2025, played in three games last season and will get plenty of real-time feedback this spring.

"He just needs to get more reps and go, because he's got all the talent that you want," Penn State quarterbacks coach Jake Waters said. "He's tough, he can run, he's not scared of contact. We used him a little bit in quarterback run, things like that, last year, but he’s a guy that has all the tools."

Sign up to our free Penn State Nittany Lions newsletter and follow us on social media.