Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544053
1 4 A P R I L 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 Point – Counterpoint The Receivers Will Have A Chance To Make An Impression Greg Pickel: The number of position groups affected by injuries to starters or key backups makes this choice a bit more difficult than it would have been in previous years. Often, you could just pick the quarterbacks and move on. That's not necessarily the case this year. The Lions' projected starter, redshirt senior Rocco Becht, is seeing limited action while recovering from shoulder surgery in December. While there will be a spirited battle for the backup job, there's not a lot of mystery at the top rung of the depth chart. That being the case, I'm going with the receivers. They've been through some unexpected drama, with position coach Noah Pauley abruptly leaving in February for the Green Bay Packers. Pauley had a strong history of developing wideouts at Iowa State, and his exit after only a matter of weeks on PSU's staff was a setback. The Lions responded by hiring Kashif Moore, formerly of Connecticut, to take over a position group that struggled in the latter years of the James Franklin era but has been almost entirely reconstructed since Matt Campbell's arrival as head coach. The Nittany Lions have brought in four pass catchers from Iowa State (redshirt senior Chase Sowell, junior Brett Eskild- sen, and redshirt freshmen Karon Brookins and Zay Robinson). They've also landed an intriguing newcomer from Grambling (Keith Jones Jr.) and have a true freshman early enrollee set to get some reps this spring (Ben Whitver). Headlining the team's contingent of returnees is sophomore Koby Howard, who started to see more action late last year and finished with 7 catches for 133 yards. After years of being maligned toward the end of the Frank- lin era, this group needs to become a strength of the offense. We'll start to get some indications this spring as to how much the receivers will be able to impact an offense that has been dominated by running backs and tight ends in recent years. There Will Be Plenty Of Competition In The Backfield Ryan Snyder: Penn State has many position groups that look a whole lot different than they did in 2025. A coaching change and 40-plus transfers will do that in today's college football. The defensive tackles and linebackers came to mind right away when making this choice, but after being built around Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen for four years, the run- ning backs room has my attention. In addition to the two seniors, Penn State lost the two freshmen it added last year, Tikey Hayes and Jabree Coleman. Redshirt freshman Corey Smith also left via the portal, ending up at Toledo. At one point, it looked like redshirt sophomore Quinton Martin Jr. would be the only running back Penn State retained, but the staff convinced redshirt junior Cam Wallace to pull his name out of the portal and return to State College. While both returnees will bear watching this spring, it's a pivotal moment for Martin, who looks to build on a 103-yard rushing perfor- mance against Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl. It's not going to be easy for Martin. Penn State added senior Carson Hansen from Iowa State and junior James Peoples from Ohio State, so there's plenty of competition. Hansen was the Cyclones' primary running back the past two seasons. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder earned All-Big 12 honors in 2025, and most expect him to be the lead back given his production and understanding of coordinator Taylor Mouser's offense. Watching him up close should be fun this spring. I'm also very curious to see how the staff uses Peoples. A former top-10 running back prospect, Peoples never took off at Ohio State the way some expected, but he did earn playing time as an underclassman. The emergence of Bo Jackson for the Buckeyes last season gave Peoples a reason to look around. Now, he finds himself in an offense that will look to find ways of using his explosiveness in space. Which Position Group Are You Most Interested In Watching This Spring? Koby Howard caught 7 passes for 133 yards as a true freshman for the Nittany Lions last season. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS Quinton Martin Jr. is Penn State's top returning rusher with 103 yards last year, all in the Pinstripe Bowl versus Clemson. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS