Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1543434
M A R C H 2 0 2 6 51 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / U P O N F U R T H E R R E V I E W / / / / / / / T he Penn State football team wel- comed 37 scholarship transfers this offseason, easily the largest portal class in program history. Not every player who's been brought in will have a significant impact on the Nittany Lions' upcoming season. Some were signed to replace depth, while oth- ers are projects for the future with up- side that they likely won't realize until 2027 or later. However, many of the newcomers were brought in with the expectation that they would be ready to fill imme- diate needs. Here are two transfers on offense and two on defense who are all but assured of having major roles this coming fall. Rocco Becht: I've developed a bad case of writer's fatigue from continually putting quarterbacks at the top of these sorts of lists. Whenever we discuss "importance," "upside," or any other metric that weighs the individual player and position over the others, the quar- terback wins by default. It's the sort of thuddingly obvious analysis that makes me tune out. Yet, it's also the truest thing in football. The Nittany Lions will go as far as Becht will take them in 2026. Their run- ning game looks capable but not overly explosive. Head coach Matt Campbell also brought his system and most of his offensive coaches from Iowa State to smooth the transition. The key to making it work will be Becht's ability to mesh with his new teammates and play up to his best moments in the Big 12. A 6-foot-1, 210-pound redshirt se- nior, Becht is a gritty player who fought through multiple shoulder injuries last year. His tenacity and determination are positive traits. Of course, the other way of looking at his 2025 season is that he got banged up a lot when asked to run or stand in the pocket and deliver. He'll need to prove he's not injury-prone this coming season, because there's no experienced depth behind him. Chase Sowell: At the other end of the explosive passing attack that the Lions hope to field is Sowell. Schemati- cally, the Penn State offense figures to look somewhat like that of the Los An- geles Rams, where former Iowa State offensive coordinator Nathan Scheel- haase has helped develop one of the NFL's most potent passing attacks. A big part of the formula is having two explosive, big-bodied receivers who can block and stretch the field out of condensed formations. Sowell, a 6-3, 210-pound redshirt senior, is the Da- vante Adams of this offense. He needs to be a big-play machine downfield. If Sowell is hurt or ineffective, offen- sive coordinator Taylor Mouser still has 6-1, 200-pound junior Brett Eskildsen, but the offense becomes much less bal- anced. Three-tight end formations only work if there's a credible threat to attack deep when the safeties get too nosy into the box. Keanu Williams: In an effort to avoid making this a clean sweep by for- mer Cyclones, we'll highlight Williams, a defensive lineman who came to Penn State from UCLA. At his best, he's an athletic, 6-5, 320-pound nose tackle, capable of executing any defensive task from stunts to two-gapping. He's a sixth-year senior, and his presence in the middle will be essential to the Nit- tany Lions' hopes of fielding a formi- dable run defense. Williams is one of the few defensive line additions who has the physical profile to be dominant at his position. He's unlikely to be a pass-rushing phe- nom, but if he can control the interior of the defensive line on early downs, it will give first-year coordinator D'Anton Lynn the flexibility to scheme pressure on third-and-long. Marcus Neal Jr.: Defense is as much about attitude as it is execution. How do you coach effort? You do it by hav- ing an example of pure effort on the field for other players to emulate. Neal, a 6-1, 215-pound junior, needs to be the Nittany Lions' tone-setter. His pursuit abilities, sure tackling and tenacity are huge assets. On the flip side, the former Iowa State star will be tested this year in ways he hasn't been previously. He spent most of his time near the line of scrimmage in the Cyclones' zone-heavy, three-safety defense. At Penn State, he will most likely play a traditional safety role. He's not slow, but he's not an elite straight- line athlete, either. We'll see how the team chooses to use Neal, accentuating his strengths while hiding any weaknesses that may emerge in this new situation. It may sound like a negative appraisal of the team's best defensive acquisition this offseason, but it's merely a clear-eyed view of the lim- ited understanding we have of his game, thanks to his one year of production in a different system. ■ Expect These Four Newcomers To Have An Impact Defensive tackle Keanu Williams started 11 games for UCLA last season, finishing with a career-high 39 tackles. PHOTO BY SAM LAZARUS/UCLA ATHLETICS O P I N I O N THOMAS FRANK CARR T F R A N K .C A R R @ O N 3 .C O M