Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542734
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 6 3 5 Trevor Buhr | G | R-Jr. One of the first Iowa State imports to join Penn State's roster, Buhr brings am- ple experience to his new team. The 6-4, 325-pounder started 12 games over the past two seasons in Ames, earning honor- able mention All-Big 12 status last year. Pete Eglitis | T | Fr. Eglitis played on back-to-back state championship teams at Bishop Watter- son in Columbus, Ohio. He was a three- star prospect in Iowa State's class who followed Campbell to PSU. The 6-7, 290-pounder joined the Lions on the same late-December day as Bandhauer. Tyshon Huff | OL | R-Jr. Huff arrived in early January from Tiffin University, a Division II school in Ohio. He spent three seasons with the Dragons and will have two years of eli- gibility remaining. This past season, the 6-4, 300-pounder started 11 games and allowed just 1 sack. He chose Penn State over Buffalo, Troy and Wyoming. Vaea Ikakoula | G | R-Fr. The 6-3, 355-pound Ikakoula impressed Campbell and his staff after joining the Cyclones last year. He went on to play in four games, including late-season starts against Kansas and Oklahoma State. Kuol Kuol II | T | R-Fr. Among the first wave of Iowa State transfers to join Penn State's team in early January, Kuol didn't make any game ap- pearances for the Cyclones last fall. The 6-6, 290-pounder from Centerville, Ohio, was a three-star prospect in the 2025 class, as rated by Rivals. He chose Iowa State over Boston College and Purdue. Brock Riker | C | R-So. Arguably the marquee pickup for the Nittany Lions on the offensive line this offseason, Riker could immediately compete for the starting center position. Listed at 6-4, 285 pounds, he played 868 snaps at Texas State last season and earned Freshman All-America honors from The Athletic. Will Tompkins | T | R-Fr. One of four former Cyclones to join Penn State's offensive line via the trans- fer portal, Tompkins brings another boost to the tackle position. Listed at 6-5, 300 pounds, he's a former Rivals Industry Ranking three-star recruit from Cedar Falls, Iowa, but missed his true freshman season with a knee injury. 2026 LOOK AHEAD OFFENSIVE LINE 2026 Outlook Penn State was already certain to turn over its offensive line ahead of the 2026 season, with or without the sea change in the program marked by the exits of James Franklin and, in the trenches, offensive line assistant Phil Trautwein. Moving forward under the direction of Matt Campbell and O-line coach Ryan Clanton, the unit will look to com- bine the holdovers from the previous coaching regime with a parade of new- comers, mostly from Iowa State. Easy enough, right? While Nick Dawkins, Nolan Rucci, Drew Shelton and Olaivavega Ioane are moving on in hope of launching NFL careers, the Nittany Lions will continue to lean on the contributions of Cooper Cousins and Anthony Donkoh up front. Both are anticipated starters next sea- son, having played significant roles the past two years. Meanwhile, by bringing Trevor Buhr over from Iowa State following his 2024 and '25 campaigns as a part-time starter for the Cyclones, along with starting experience from Tyshon Huff and Brock Riker out of the transfer por- tal, the Nittany Lions have a foundation to build upon in the trenches. The question for Clanton ahead of spring practice is how he'll arrange the pieces at his disposal, and whether the combined pool of returning players and transfers can jell together into a cohesive unit that can hold its own in college football's toughest conference. After the stark contrast between the outstanding finish to the 2024 season and an inconsistent showing in 2025 that helped lead to an 0-6 start in Big Ten play, the Nittany Lions are guaran- teed to look different up front. Clanton and his players will be determined to prove that the roster upheaval is ulti- mately to the unit's benefit. — Nate Bauer Making his second career start, guard Cooper Cousins played 78 snaps in the Pinstripe Bowl and earned a 75.1 pass- blocking grade from Pro Football Focus. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS