Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543434
3 2 M A R C H 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / T H E C L A S S O F 2 0 2 6 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / M att Campbell and his staff welcomed 18 scholarship offensive players to Penn State's roster in January. In most cases, no introductions were necessary; 14 of those players came to PSU from Iowa State, where they played for Campbell and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser. The Nittany Lions brought in a pair of quarterbacks from Ames, along with four receivers, four offensive linemen, three tight ends and a running back. And to supplement those acquisitions, they landed four players from a dispa- rate group of schools that included Ohio State, Texas State, Grambling and Tiffin, the last a Division II school in northern Ohio. Here's a look at Penn State's offensive newcomers. Cooper Alexander | TE R-So. | 6-4 | 245 Iowa State | Washington, Okla. On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: HHH, No. 24 TE Rivals Industry Ranking (2024): HHH, No. 41 TE Penn State's new staff was looking to the future when it welcomed Alexander to State College. The son of nine-year NFL veteran Stephen Alexander, he's the youngest of the three former Iowa State tight ends to join the Nittany Lions during the January transfer window. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound Okla- homan has three seasons of eligibility remaining. A three-star recruit coming out of Washington High in 2024, Alexander played in only one game as a true freshman before suffering a season-ending injury. He was back in action last fall, playing in 11 games and catching 5 passes for 47 yards. Rocco Becht | QB R-Sr. | 6-1 | 210 Iowa State | Wesley Chapel, Fla. On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: HHHH, No. 9 QB Rivals Industry Ranking (2022): HHH, No. 36 QB Considered one of the top available quarterbacks in the por- tal this year, Becht is coming off a three-year tenure as Iowa State's starting signal-caller. Despite playing through injuries to both shoulders, he threw for 2,584 yards with a 60.5 percent completion rate as a redshirt junior, tossing 16 touchdown passes and 9 interceptions. For his career, Becht has totaled 9,274 passing yards, with 64 touchdowns and 27 interceptions. He was also an occasional runner for the Cyclones, totaling 499 yards and 19 touch- downs on the ground. Prior to enrolling at Iowa State, Becht was a three-star pros- pect and the No. 625 overall recruit in the nation, per the Rivals Industry Ranking. Benjamin Brahmer | TE Sr. | 6-7 | 255 Iowa State | Pierce, Neb. On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: HHHH, No. 1 TE Rivals Industry Ranking (2023): HHH, No. 32 TE Brahmer hit the portal as soon as it opened on Jan. 2. From the start, it seemed likely that he intended to rejoin Campbell and Mouser at PSU. That's exactly what happened. Listed by On3 as the No. 1 tight end available in the portal, Brahmer an- nounced on Jan. 3 that he would be spending his final college season with the Nittany Lions. Brahmer caught 37 passes for 446 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2025, earning second-team All-Big 12 recognition and a spot among the Mackey Award semifinalists. The year before, he caught 10 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown. In 2023, he hauled in 28 passes for 352 yards and 2 scores, earning Fresh- man All-America notice from The Athletic. Karon Brookins | WR R-Fr. | 6-5 | 200 Iowa State | Pennsauken, N.J. On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: HHH, No. 328 WR Rivals Industry Ranking (2025): HHH, No. 214 WR Listed at 6-5, 200 pounds, Brookins will be a big target when he begins seeing the field for the Nittany Lions. He has yet to play in a college game after redshirting as a true freshman at Iowa State. A South Jersey native, Brookins caught the Cyclones' at- tention as a junior at Timber Creek High when he hauled in 32 receptions for 575 yards and 7 touchdowns. He transferred to Winslow Township ahead of his senior season to play for former Penn State running back Bill Belton. However, he was forced to sit out his final season and will head into his first PSU campaign having not seen game action since 2023. Trevor Buhr | OL R-Jr. | 6-4 | 325 Iowa State | Washington, Mo. On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: HHH, No. 13 IOL Rivals Industry Ranking (2023): HHH, No. 77 IOL Buhr made 19 starts over the past two seasons, totaling LIONS USE PORTAL TO RESTOCK ON OFFENSE RYA N S N Y D E R A N D G R E G P I C K E L | B L U E W H I T E I L L U S T R AT E D