Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545675
5 6 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 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / PRESEASON ANALYSIS ★★★★★ National Title; ★★★★ Top 10; ★★★ Top 25; ★★ Too Unproven; ★ Major Concern STARTERS ★★★ Penn State's starting offensive line is going to be a mix of returnees and transfers. Manning the tackle spots will be redshirt junior Anthony Donkoh on the right side and redshirt freshman Malachi Goodman on the left. Donkoh has been a run-blocking force for the Nittany Lions and could develop into one of the best tackles in the country if he can stay healthy. The right guard spot will probably belong to another returnee, junior Cooper Cousins, who looked good in the Pinstripe Bowl, his first career start. Transfers will man the other two spots, with redshirt junior Trevor Buhr at left guard and redshirt sophomore Brock Riker at center. Buhr was one of four offensive linemen who followed Matt Campbell and position coach Ryan Clanton from Iowa State, while Riker came from Texas State. It's a solid group that the coaching staff lauded this spring. EXPERIENCE ★★★ Despite fielding a rebuilt roster, Penn State is fairly balanced from an eligibility perspective. Center Dominic Rulli is the offensive line's only scholarship senior. Five Nittany Lions have ju- nior eligibility this fall, while three will be sophomores, seven redshirt freshmen and two true freshmen. Much of the focus this spring was on the development of the younger classes, specifically at offensive tackle. One of those young players — Goodman — appears set to start at left tackle de- spite having not seen game action to this point in his career. While that's inevitably going to raise some red flags, the coaching staff has been unfailingly positive about Goodman's performance in practice, with offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser describing him as "one of the most talented guys I've ever seen with my own two eyes." DEPTH ★★ The Nittany Lions could find themselves relying on a couple of redshirt freshmen as backups at left tackle (Owen Aliciene) and left guard (Will Tompkins). At right tackle, redshirt sopho- more Garrett Sexton has played just 33 snaps to this point in his career, so there might be some unproven players manning key spots on the depth chart. OVERALL GRADE ★★★ Big changes were coming to Penn State's offensive line in 2026 even if there hadn't been a coaching overhaul. With Olai- vavega Ioane, Drew Shelton, Nick Dawkins and Nolan Rucci all moving on, Penn State knew it was headed for a major re- build. Four new starters are taking over, and eight players have ar- rived either via the portal or as part of the 2026 freshman class, making it hard to predict how the unit will come together. But after last year's disappointing perfor- mance, a fresh start was probably for the best. Clanton and his play- ers will be determined to prove that the roster upheaval of the past few months is ultimately to the unit's benefit. Anthony Donkoh was slowed by injuries last season but still played in all 13 games and made 11 starts as a redshirt sophomore. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS BY THE NUMBERS 0 Snaps taken by redshirt freshman tackle Malachi Goodman in his college career. Goodman is expected to start at left tackle for the Nittany Lions this fall. 4.8 Penn State's average yards per carry last season. Despite fielding an offen- sive line that many had expected to be the best of the James Franklin era, the Lions averaged nearly half a yard less per carry than they did in 2024. 51 Sacks allowed by Iowa State during the past three seasons, eighth-fewest among Power Four teams over that span. PERSONNEL POSITION COACH Ryan Clanton: Another Iowa State coaching veteran, Clanton has replaced Phil Trautwein, who headed to Florida, his alma mater, when Matt Campbell took charge of PSU's program. Clanton joined Campbell's staff in Ames ahead of the 2023 season. He is a former Oregon team captain and was a juco All- America offensive lineman at the City College of San Francisco. A Bakersfield, Calif., native, he began his coaching ca- reer at Ventura (Calif.) College and later moved on to Northern Iowa. After bringing him to Iowa State, Campbell noted that Clanton "has got a great history of being a great developer." Under his watch, the Cyclones went from averaging 108.0 rushing yards per game in his first season to 160.5 in Year 2 and 174.5 in Year 3. RETURNING SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS OWEN ALICIENE R-Fr. | 6-7 | 303 • Played 22 snaps in the Nittany Lions' 2025 opener against Nevada but did not see action the rest of the year, pre- serving his freshman eligibility. • Enrolled in December 2024 and had the opportunity to practice with the team prior to the Fiesta and Orange bowls. • Was a four-star prospect and the No. 27 offensive tackle in the 2025 class, per the Rivals Industry Ranking.