Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545675
A U G U S T 2 0 2 6 4 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / W I D E R E C E I V E R S / / / / / / / at a lot of places, but I've never played at a stadium that looks like this. And I feel like that's my home stadium now. That's something I've got to play for and represent. I feel honored. I'm just going to enjoy the atmosphere, enjoy the fans. I'm very excited." The feeling is most definitely mutual. After years of struggle, Penn State's wide receivers room has undergone ex- tensive changes this offseason, part of the program-wide overhaul that began with Matt Campbell's appointment as head coach in December. Sowell is one of five transfer wideouts who've joined the Nittany Lions, with four of those newcomers having previously played for Campbell at Iowa State. Sowell is expected to start at the X re- ceiver spot, while another former Cy- clone, junior Brett Eskildsen, heads up the depth chart at the Y position. A year ago, the two wideouts had virtually iden- tical stat lines, with Sowell catching 32 passes for 500 yards and Eskildsen total- ing 30 catches for 526 yards. The biggest difference between the two teammates was that Sowell had 2 touchdown catches, while Eskildsen had 5. Penn State will be looking for both of those numbers to rise this fall. The Nit- tany Lions amassed only 16 touchdown catches during the 2025 season, none by wideouts who are still on the team. A Good Fit The hope at Penn State is that Sowell will serve as the kind of field-stretching receiver who helps declutter the line of scrimmage by forcing defenders to re- spect his big-play potential. As Camp- bell noted, "His ability to go from zero to 100 is super impressive." Sowell came to Iowa State last year af- ter amassing 1,300 yards in his two sea- sons at East Carolina, and it wasn't just Campbell's on-field success that sold him on the Cyclones. The Iowa State coaching staff had also gained a repu- tation for focusing on players' personal well-being, as exemplified by its "Self- Care Sundays," a day set aside for call- ing home, connecting with family and friends, and getting mentally reset for the week ahead. Campbell's approach to work-life balance resonated with Sowell. "He honestly cares about us," the re- ceiver said. "That's the main thing that attracted me to this staff." When Campbell left for Penn State, along with a contingent of assistants that included then-receivers coach Noah Pauley, Sowell was initially hesitant to leave Ames. He worried about how an- other transfer might affect his progress toward graduation and conceded that he was "iffy" about moving on. But he also needed to have a complete understanding of his options, and he was confident that Campbell had his best in- terests at heart. When the Nittany Lions' new head coach reached out following his entry into the portal, Sowell trusted that it was the right move. It didn't hurt that the Nittany Lions' reputation as a program dovetailed with what he'd seen from Campbell and his staff during the 2025 season. "If you go back into history, what Penn State is about matches with what Coach Campbell has built himself on," Sowell said. "I feel like a lot of those same values tie into what our values are as a team — being a good role model, being a good person in the community, and being a good student, all those things. "I feel like this place has always been at that standard. They just needed some people to get back to that." Big-Play Ability Like Sowell, Eskildsen is a Texan. The Frisco native caught Iowa State's atten- tion by surpassing 1,500 receiving yards for the Centennial High football team while also turning in a 10.52-second 100-meter time for the track squad. Unlike Sowell, Eskildsen had spent his entire career with the Cyclones be- fore joining Campbell at Penn State. The 6-1, 198-pound wideout played in all 13 games as a true freshman and started against Miami in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. He went on to make seven more starts as a Scholarship Players (10) No. Player Yr. Ht. Wt. 8 Karon Brookins R-Fr. 6-5 205 4 Brett Eskildsen Jr. 6-1 198 84 Peter Gonzalez R-So. 6-2 211 6 Koby Howard So. 5-11 203 19 Amarion Jackson Fr. 6-2 192 15 Keith Jones Jr. R-So. 6-4 197 2 Zay Robinson R-Fr. 5-11 186 11 Lyrick Samuel R-Fr. 6-4 183 0 Chase Sowell R-Sr. 6-3 203 81 Ben Whitver Fr. 6-2 195 Quick Facts Position coach: Kashif Moore (first season) Returning starter: Koby Howard (4 career starts) Departing starters: Kyron Hudson (4), Trebor Peña (8), Devonte Ross (4) Projected new starters: Brett Eskildsen, Chase Sowell Top reserves: Karon Brookins, Peter Gonzalez, Amarion Jackson, Zay Robinson Newcomers: Brookins, Eskildsen, Jackson, Robinson, Sowell, Keith Jones Jr., Ben Whitver Eskildsen was limited this spring while he recovered from an injury he suffered last season with the Cyclones. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER