Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545007
J U N E / J U L Y 2 0 2 6 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M E ngulfed in change ahead of his final season of college football eligibility, senior tight end Benjamin Brahmer has spent the past four months relishing one of the few constants in his life as a college football transfer. In January, Brahmer made the move from Iowa State to PSU. He was fol- lowing Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell to State College, but Camp- bell wasn't the only reason the veteran player decided to leave Ames. He also wanted to keep playing for Taylor Mouser, his position coach and offen- sive coordinator at Iowa State and one of the key staff members whom Camp- bell had brought along. With so much of the Cyclones' of- fensive brain trust having relocated, Penn State's spring practice sessions meant something different for Brahmer than they did for some other players. While he may have been unfamiliar with the surroundings, he was fully versed in Mouser's offensive system and was tasked with bringing the tight ends room — and the offensive unit as a whole — up to speed. Now that the 2026 season is not so far away, it's clear that Brahmer's role served both him and the Nittany Lions well. "My leadership skills got a lot bet- ter, just being able to coach up the guys who didn't know the offense right at the start," he said. "That was really im- portant for me. It taught me the whole offense over again and got me to learn all the details." The experience was not unique to Brahmer. Many of the most productive play- ers on Iowa State's offense the past few years are now at Penn State, so the onus of providing on-field guidance was shared across the board. From quarterback Rocco Becht to re- ceivers Chase Sowell and Brett Eskild- sen, to running back Carson Hansen, to Brahmer and fellow tight ends Gabe Burkle and Cooper Alexander, to of- fensive lineman Trevor Buhr, the new- comers have banked plenty of game and practice reps under Mouser. Becht, Sowell, Hansen, Brahmer and Burkle are all seniors; Eskildsen and Buhr are juniors, while Alexander is a redshirt sophomore. Even without full participation from many of those newcomers this spring, the impact of that experience is already being felt within the program. "As leaders, we have to be able to be there for the young guys and the guys from Penn State," Hansen said. "I hate saying 'the guys from Penn State,' be- cause we're all one team now, together. But it's just been our leadership role, being in those guys' ears. We're ex- plaining things, giving them tips and reminders over and over again so we can hammer out the little details." As Hansen outlined, those details are a significant part of what Penn State is building offensively this season. They've been a major point of emphasis from Campbell, Mouser and the rest of the staff, and that focus trickled down to experienced transfers and, eventu- ally, to returning players and portal ad- ditions throughout the spring. "I think our biggest thing in spring ball is the fundamentals of things, pick- ing up the playbook and really just ham- mering out the little details of things. I think we did a great job of that," Han- sen said. "Overall, it's just been good, fundamental work. We've seen a lot of improvement from guys. And I think it's going to be a really special year." Coming off Brahmer's most produc- tive season yet — 37 receptions for 446 yards and 6 touchdowns as one of the Cyclones' key offensive threats — the core tenets of that attack are expected to carry over to the Nittany Lions this year. While acknowledging some differences, Brahmer said the system is "pretty similar" and carries "the same mindset" as it did the past two seasons. That mindset? "I'd say it's just knockdown, drag- out football. He's going to run the ball in your face, and he'll throw it over the top, too, if he wants to," Brahmer said. "The guys in our offense are aligning with that mindset right now. It's been a really good spring for that. And all the new players — it's been really good to watch them just change their mindset." It's a process that's been months in the making. The Lions have already made progress, and there's more to come, bringing a sense of excitement for what comes next. ■ Having spent the past three years at Iowa State, senior tight end Benjamin Brahmer is very familiar with the offense that Matt Campbell and coordinator Taylor Mouser want to run this fall. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS O P I N I O N NATE BAUER NATE.BAUER@ON3.COM HOT READ Amid All The Changes, PSU's Offense Finds Continuity