Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543434
3 4 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 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / Kuol Kuol II | OL R-Fr. | 6-6 | 290 Iowa State | Centerville, Ohio On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: HHH, No. 101 OT Rivals Industry Ranking (2025):HHH, No. 52 OT A three-star offensive tackle at Centerville (Ohio) High, Kuol spent one season at Iowa State before opting to follow Campbell and offensive line coach Ryan Clanton to State College. Kuol, who picked Iowa State over Boston College and Pur- due as a recruit, did not see action during his true freshman campaign in Ames. After entering the transfer portal, his only visit was to Penn State. He said the opportunity to rejoin his coaches at a program of PSU's caliber was "a dream come true, honestly." Alex Manske | QB R-Fr. | 6-3 | 225 Iowa State | Algona, Iowa On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: HHH, No. 25 QB Rivals Industry Ranking (2025): HHHH, No. 20 QB One of Iowa State's most promising young players, Manske committed to Penn State just minutes after Becht announced that he was headed to State College. An Elite 11 finalist com- ing out of Algona (Iowa) High, he was not only the top- ranked player in Iowa State's 2025 recruiting class, but also was one of the highest-ranked players to ever commit to the Cyclones under Campbell. Manske missed part of his senior season with an elbow injury but still totaled 4,933 passing yards and 1,414 rushing yards during his prep career. He threw 49 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. As a true freshman with the Cyclones, Manske played in just three games, allowing him to retain four years of eligi- bility. James Peoples | RB Jr. | 5-10 | 206 Ohio State | San Antonio, Texas On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: HHH, No. 11 RB Rivals Industry Ranking (2024): HHHH, No. 8 RB A consensus four-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting class, Peoples earned more than a dozen scholarship offers, including one from Penn State's former staff. He ended up committing to Ohio State after a visit to Columbus in April 2023. Peoples played in eight games as a true freshman, then saw action in all 14 last fall. But his snaps decreased in the second half of the year when freshman Bo Jackson began to establish himself as Ohio State's top running back. Peoples finished his two-year stay in Columbus with 541 yards and 5 touchdowns on 110 carries. Because he never redshirted, he has three years to play two with the Nittany Lions. Brock Riker | OL R-So. | 6-4 | 285 Texas State | Brock, Texas On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: HHH, No. 17 IOL Rivals Industry Ranking (2024): HHH, No. 120 IOL Clanton moved quickly to get Riker on campus after he hit the portal when it opened on Jan. 2. Alabama, Oklahoma, Il- linois, South Carolina, Utah, Florida, Houston, North Carolina and Kansas State all had offered, in addition to Penn State. Riker started 12 games for Texas State in 2025 and played well enough to earn a second-team Freshman All-America nod from The Athletic. He saw action on 868 snaps, earning a 70.7 overall offensive grade from Pro Football Focus. His 70.6 run-blocking grade was best among the Bobcats' full-time starters, and his 77.9 pass-blocking grade was second. He allowed 6 pressures and no sacks as a first-year starter. Zay Robinson | WR R-Fr. | 5-11 | 185 Iowa State | Des Moines, Iowa On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: HHH, No. 252 WR Rivals Industry Ranking (2025): HHH, No. 152 WR Robinson played in three games for Iowa State in 2025, pre- serving his freshman eligibility. He caught 1 pass for no gain in the season finale against Oklahoma State while also seeing action as a return man after a standout career at West Des Moines (Iowa) Valley High. Robinson chose the Cyclones over offers from Colorado, Iowa, Kansas State, Missouri and Vanderbilt. The three-star prospect had missed his junior season due to an injury, but he had 48 catches for 661 yards and 14 touchdowns in his final year, helping lead the Tigers to their second consecutive state title. Chase Sowell | WR R-Sr. | 6-3 | 210 Iowa State | Humble, Texas On3 Transfer Portal Ranking: HHHH, No. 19 WR Rivals Industry Ranking (2022): HHH, No. 210 WR A 2022 prospect from Humble, Texas, Sowell will be attend- ing his fourth school in the past five years. After signing with Colorado, which had been the only Power Five school to recruit him coming out of Atascocita High, he played in four games his freshman year before an injury knocked him out for the season, allowing him to redshirt. Sowell then headed to East Carolina for two seasons, to- taling 81 receptions for 1,300 yards and 4 touchdowns with the Pirates. A coaching change gave Sowell a reason to look around, and that's how he ended up joining Campbell at Iowa State. He was the Cyclones' second-leading receiver last year, totaling 32 catches for 500 yards and 2 touchdowns, and win- ning honorable mention All-Big 12 honors.