Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545675
5 0 A U G U S T 2 0 2 6 / / / / / / / 2 0 2 6 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / B enjamin Brahmer didn't need to wait. Entering the transfer por- tal on Jan. 2, the day it opened, the Iowa State tight end quickly announced that he would be following head coach Matt Campbell and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser to Penn State. Brahmer had made his decision weeks earlier. Campbell had gathered the team in early December to tell players he was leav- ing. When Brahmer stepped into Mouser's office shortly afterward, he learned that the OC was also headed to State College. That was all Brahmer needed to hear. If Campbell and Mouser were relocating to PSU, he would head there, too. The only thing left was to tell his parents. "It was a really emotional night, just talking to my parents about it and telling them, 'This is what I want to do, so I'm just going to go for it and hope I'm right,'" he said. "I've made the right decision, so I'm excited to keep playing with Coach Campbell and Coach Mouse." Brahmer, a 6-foot-7, 250-pound senior, thus became the first in a deluge of Iowa State players who opted to join Campbell in State College. He also looks to be one of the most important. Last year, Brah- mer earned second-team All-Big 12 no- tice from the league's coaches and was a Mackey Award semifinalist. Mouser frequently found ways of show- casing his ability to make plays downfield, as well as his penchant for coming down with jump balls. Bill Seals, publisher of W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Quick Thinking Benjamin Brahmer needed little convincing to join his Iowa State coaches at PSU NAT E BAU E R | N AT E . B A U E R @ O N 3 . C O M Scholarship Players (6) No. Player Yr. Ht. Wt. 80 Cooper Alexander R-So. 6-4 241 18 Benjamin Brahmer Sr. 6-7 250 84 Gabe Burkle R-Sr. 6-6 247 89 Finn Furmanek R-Jr. 6-3 251 83 Brian Kortovich R-Fr. 6-4 241 87 Andrew Rappleyea R-Jr. 6-4 242 Brahmer comes to Penn State after earning second-team All-Big 12 honors as a junior. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER