Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546159
6 S E P T E M B E R 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 H eading into preseason practice ahead of its 2026 campaign, the Penn State football team still wasn't entirely sure what it was go- ing to do at tight end. But new Nittany Lions head coach Matt Campbell was pretty excited by that. Campbell leaned heavily on the po- sition during his 10 seasons at Iowa State, and his first year at Penn State figures to be no different. A pair of former Cyclones — seniors Benjamin Brahmer and Gabe Burkle — are set to team up with returning redshirt junior Andrew Rappleyea. The presence of that veteran trio has left Campbell and offensive coordina- tor/position coach Taylor Mouser with a first-world football problem: How do they get three of their best players on the field at the same position? A year ago, that trio combined for 83 catches, 928 yards and 10 touchdowns, and the Lions have also welcomed a third Iowa State expat in redshirt sophomore Cooper Alexander while bringing back two other tight ends in redshirt junior Finn Furmanek and redshirt freshman Brian Kortovich. "That's a really special room right now," Campbell said in July at Big Ten Media Days. "You have Rapp, Gabe and Ben at the top of it. Cooper Alex- ander is a really talented young foot- ball player, and Finn [strengthens the group]. Top to bottom, that's a room we feel really good about. "And selfishly, I'd want more. I'd like to have as many as we can. We're coming from a place where we were used to hav- ing eight, nine scholarship tight ends. We'll continue to build the equity of that room, just because I think it's really important, whether it's special teams or just how you play a football game." Campbell labeled the Nittany Lions a 12-personnel team (one running back, two tight ends) with the flexibility to play up to four tight ends at once based on matchups. Listed at 6-foot-7, 250 pounds, Brahmer led the Cyclones in catches (37) and receiving touchdowns (6) last season. He'll give Penn State options all over the field when he lines up at wide receiver. "You're talking about a guy who's al- most 6-7 who runs almost 22 miles per hour," Campbell said. "In the last two offseasons, he hasn't had the ability to truly train because he was coming back from some injuries. This is the first offseason he's been healthy, and he's done an unbelievable job with his body. I think he's the most physical and best version of himself since he's been in our program." Burkle, on the other hand, is working his way back from an ACL tear he suf- fered in November that has kept him out since his arrival at Penn State in January. Campbell said the 6-6, 247-pound red- shirt senior was "really healthy," adding that he's hopeful Burkle will be ready for the Nittany Lions' season opener against Marshall on Sept. 5. Although he's labeled as more of a blocker, Burkle caught multiple passes in all nine games he played last season. "I would say he's been critically im- portant to our success," Campbell said. "When you watch our Iowa State team in 2024, Ben Brahmer was truly one of the best tight ends — if not the best tight end — in the country. We lost Ben at a really critical moment. He broke his leg in Game 5, and Gabe really matured from that point on. You watch how that guy played down the stretch, you watch how he played against the Miamis of the world and the Arizona States of the world, and man, he really flourished and carried that into last year." Penn State has been blessed with its share of elite tight ends over the years. Tyler Warren won the Mackey Award in 2024 and is now in the NFL, along with such fellow program alums as Brenton Strange, Theo Johnson, Pat Freiermuth and Mike Gesicki. "You know what great tight ends look like here at Penn State," Campbell said, alluding to that history. "When you have the ability to extend gaps and create gaps and help in pass protection, be an outlet in the passing game, man, those are huge assets." If Campbell and Mouser have their way, the Nittany Lions will be show- casing a few more elite tight ends this fall. ■ Before coming to Penn State in January, Benjamin Brahmer played in 33 games over three seasons at Iowa State, catch- ing 75 passes for 977 yards and 9 touchdowns. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER Tight Ends Will Give Penn State Options This Fall JUDGMENT CALL O P I N I O N SEAN FITZ SEAN.FITZ@ON3.COM