Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544665
2 4 M A Y 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 E ven within the warm, cozy accom- modations of the new "press box" at Beaver Stadium — a retrofit to the east suites last offseason — the conditions for Penn State's Blue-White Practice on April 25 were impossible to ignore. The rain started before the Nittany Li- ons hit the field for warmups late in the morning and continued for the duration of the event. The weather could have ren- dered the practice a literal wash, but as far as head coach Matt Campbell was con- cerned, there was still value in the public unveiling of the 2026 Penn State football team. Campbell had talked about wanting to give his players, many of whom are new to Penn State, an opportunity to play in front of a crowd at Beaver Stadium. There were fans in attendance, but the conditions certainly impacted its size. PSU didn't provide an attendance esti- mate, and there was no realistic way to do an accurate count from the press box. Many fans were huddled beneath the portions of the north and south end zone lower bowls that were shielded by the upper decks, although there were some hardy fans who braved the weather and spent the duration of the event seated in the east stands. While the attendance was a fraction of what it will be starting in September, the parking lots surrounding the stadium were teeming with tailgaters, demon- strating a level of dedication and interest that even a hastily arranged spring event couldn't diminish. For Campbell, in his first foray in front of fans and in an environment that might otherwise have shifted to Holuba Hall, the experience resonated. The first-year coach marveled at "the amount of people who came out to support our football pro- gram." "I just think every opportunity to show the young men in our program how spe- cial it is to play here at Penn State and what it means [is important]," Campbell told reporters afterward. "It's one of the things that I've been absolutely grateful for from the day that I touched down here — understanding that it's bigger than me and it's bigger than our players, what we get to represent, and what we are training to be able to represent every fall Saturday. It's really powerful. "To see and feel the energy walking into this stadium today — there aren't many places where you get to be a part of some- thing like this." Even under ideal circumstances, with a fully healthy roster and pleasant spring weather, the Blue-White game can be dif- ficult to evaluate. This spring, those ideal circumstances never materialized. A sizable number of Nittany Lions — both returning players and transfer portal additions — are working their way back from season-ending injuries that required surgery and ongoing rehabilitation. Be- yond that, additional offseason setbacks sidelined even more contributors. Many of those absences involve play- ers expected to sit atop the depth chart on both sides of the ball: redshirt senior Rocco Becht at quarterback, redshirt junior Anthony Donkoh at right tackle, redshirt junior Tony Rojas at linebacker, Open Scrimmage Offers Few Clues As To PSU's Potential NAT E BAU E R | N AT E . B A U E R @ O N 3 . C O M Redshirt sophomore running back Quinton Martin Jr. is battling for carries with transfers Carson Hansen and James Peoples. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL