Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546586
2 4 O C T O 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 tributed to a unit led by first-year coordi- nator D'Anton Lynn. Bacon's move to a part-time defensive end role was made in preseason camp af- ter the staff decided that it wasn't taking full advantage of his positional versatility. "He did some things on the edge in practice that made us think, Man, this guy can do more than just play inside line- backer," Lynn said. "He can set an edge on early downs. He can drop in cover- age. He can rush. He can just do a lot of things from that position, and with his inside linebacker background, he has a high football IQ for a guy on the edge. "He's a guy you can do a lot of different things with. We're going to keep on try- ing to be creative with how we implement him in the plan." A week later at Temple, the Lions again got major contributions from several of their newcomers. Brahmer caught 2 of Becht's 3 scoring tosses and finished with a team-high 79 receiving yards. Sowell caught the other touchdown pass, and the Lions also got a combined 126 rushing yards from Hansen and Peoples. Defensively, junior linebacker Cael Brezina was second on the team with 6 tackles, while senior safeties Jeremiah Cooper and Jamison Patton and redshirt senior edge rusher Ikenna Ezeogu had 4 apiece. With the Big Ten season fast approach- ing, Penn State will need contributions from every part of its roster. But no one appears more important than Becht. He is the heart and soul of this team and the conductor of its offense. The Nittany Li- ons will go as he goes. So far, it's going very well for the new Penn State passer and his teammates. In 2024, Becht threw for 3,505 yards and 25 touchdowns at Iowa State. Now healthy again, he wants to recapture that form at Penn State. "I don't really think I have anything to prove to myself because I know what I'm capable of," Becht said. "I want to go out there and do my job day in and day out each game. I feel healthy 100 percent again, and so I feel like I'm back to my 2024 self, and I just want to go out there and play ball and win a lot of games for this program." ■ DEFENSE Defensive End 19 Yvan Kemajou So. 6-3 252 33 Alexander McPherson So. 6-6 254 Defensive Tackle 92 Siale Taupaki R-Sr.+ 6-2 326 39 Ty Blanding R-Jr. 6-1 301 Defensive Tackle 99 Keanu Williams R-Sr. 6-5 317 98 Dallas Vakalahi Jr. 6-2 326 Five-Technique 1 Ikenna Ezeogu R-Sr. 6-5 273 33 Alexander McPherson So. 6-6 254 Defensive End 1 Ikenna Ezeogu R-Sr. 6-5 273 10 Caleb Bacon R-Sr. 6-4 242 Will Linebacker 13 Tony Rojas R-Jr. 6-2 236 26 Cam Smith R-Fr. 6-0 222 Mike Linebacker 8 Kooper Ebel Sr. 6-4 233 9 Cael Brezina Jr. 6-3 233 Sam Linebacker 31 Marcus Neal Jr. Jr. 6-1 216 31 John Klosterman R-Sr. 5-11 223 Cornerback 2 Audavion Collins R-Sr. 5-11 183 7 Zion Tracy Sr. 5-11 184 Nickel 7 Zion Tracy Sr. 5-11 184 17 Josiah Zayas Fr. 6-2 205 Safety 4 Jeremiah Cooper R-Sr. 6-0 188 3 Jamison Patton Sr. 6-2 206 Safety 31 Marcus Neal Jr. Jr. 6-1 216 21 Vaboue Toure R-So. 6-1 209 Cornerback 5 Daryus Dixson So. 6-0 184 0 Jahmir Joseph R-Fr. 6-0 190 PENN STATE DEPTH CHART Placekicker 94 Ryan Barker R-Jr. 6-2 191 95 Cristiano Rosa R-Sr. 5-11 205 Kickoffs 96 Lucas Tenbrock Fr. 6-6 210 95 Cristiano Rosa R-Sr. 5-11 205 Punter 38 Nathan Tiyce So. 6-5 232 96 Lucas Tenbrock Fr. 6-6 210 Long Snapper 35 Blaise Sokach-Minnick R-Sr. 6-3 216 92 Andrew Dufault R-So. 6-1 249 Kickoff Returns 2 Zay Robinson R-Fr. 5-11 186 6 Koby Howard So. 5-11 203 Punt Returns 2 Zay Robinson R-Fr. 5-11 186 25 Quinton Martin Jr. R-So. 6-1 212 OFFENSE Quarterback 3 Rocco Becht R-Sr. 6-1 208 7 Alex Manske R-Fr. 6-3 210 10 Connor Barry Sr. 6-1 211 Running Back 21 Carson Hansen Sr. 6-2 216 1 James Peoples Jr. 5-10 214 25 Quinton Martin Jr. R-So. 6-1 212 X Wide Receiver 0 Chase Sowell R-Sr. 6-3 203 8 Karon Brookins R-Fr. 6-5 205 Z Wide Receiver 4 Brett Eskildsen Jr. 6-1 198 9 Amarion Jackson Fr. 6-2 192 F/Slot Wide Receiver 6 Koby Howard So. 5-11 203 2 Zay Robinson R-Fr. 5-11 186 Tight End 18 Benjamin Brahmer Sr. 6-7 250 84 Gabe Burkle R-Sr. 6-6 247 F Tight End 87 Andrew Rappleyea R-Jr. 6-4 242 89 Finn Furmanek R-Jr. 6-3 251 Left Tackle 78 Malachi Goodman R-Fr. 6-6 330 77 Owen Aliciene R-Fr. 6-7 303 Left Guard 70 Trevor Buhr R-Jr. 6-4 318 66 Will Tompkins R-Fr. 6-5 311 Center 51 Brock Riker R-So. 6-4 291 54 Vaea Ikakoula R-Fr. 6-3 326 Right Guard 50 Cooper Cousins Jr. 6-6 320 54 Vaea Ikakoula R-Fr. 6-3 326 Right Tackle 68 Anthony Donkoh R-Jr. 6-5 334 71 Garrett Sexton R-So. 6-6 315 SPECIAL TEAMS