Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546586
O C T O B E R 2 0 2 6 3 7 M att Campbell's core philosophy centers on "players, formations, plays." It's a simple idea. Focus first on the players in the program, then put them in position to succeed with for- mations and play calls. To figure out who to build around, Campbell has his staff rank the team's best players throughout the year. We did our initial rankings this offseason. Now that camp has wrapped and the season is underway, it's time for an update. The lists below are built on what we learned through preseason practice and the first games of the regular season, plus some editorial judgment. Note that there's a horse-race quality to the lists re- flecting camp feedback as much as "best" overall talent. Offense 1. Rocco Becht | QB | Sr. Quarterbacks coach Jake Waters said Becht put together the best camp of his career. Special plays have never been the problem — he has one of the best deep balls in college football. The issue has been consistency in his accuracy from play to play. He's the type of quarterback who could rush his footwork on a rou- tine throw and miss it, then thread a deep completion between two defenders the very next play. At least, that's who he used to be. The hope is that Becht has taken that step forward this offseason and is now the most complete version of himself in his final year. He was outstanding in a little over two quarters of work against Mar- shall, completing 13 of 18 passes for 271 yards and 4 touchdowns with no inter- ceptions. A week later at Temple, he hit 21 of 27 for 268 yards and 3 scores. The Big Ten season will be the real test for Becht, but he's off to an excellent start. 2. Trevor Buhr | G | R-Jr. Offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser called Buhr the "offensive MVP" dur- ing camp, and he's climbed our rankings significantly as a result. The Iowa State transfer has always had talent, but con- sistency was an issue during his time with the Cyclones. Like his fellow guard Coo- per Cousins, Buhr used to struggle to stay balanced as a blocker. His position coach, Ryan Clanton, also praised him in Au- gust, specifically for his pass protection throughout camp. 3. Anthony Donkoh | T | R-Jr. Some editorial discretion is at play here. Donkoh slowly worked his way back from offseason surgery while logging camp reps. By all accounts, he's still in the pro- cess of becoming the player we've seen flash at his peak in a Penn State uniform. He played 44 snaps on opening day and 59 a week later against Temple. Fully healthy, Donkoh is a potential first-round NFL Draft pick and one of the most dominant run blockers in col- lege football. He was our top player this offseason before we learned more about his situation during training camp. If he's at full strength, he can easily take over the top spot again. 4. Cooper Cousins | G | Jr. This ranking may be controversial, and honestly, I'm not fully sold on it myself. But the feedback from camp was that Cousins deserved to be mentioned in the same breath as Buhr. Cousins has always had NFL-caliber talent. At 6-foot-6, 330 pounds, he's big, long and athletic. The goal has been chan- neling his aggression into a more con- trolled, balanced style. By all accounts, he's made real progress there and we've moved him up as a result. He reportedly went neck and neck with the team's top offensive linemen during camp. 5. Ben Brahmer | TE | Sr. Brahmer edges out redshirt junior Andrew Rappleyea because of usage and situational playmaking opportunities. Both can create big plays, but Brahmer is the bigger deep threat of the two. At 6-7, 255 pounds, Brahmer can attack safe- ties up the seam or win single coverage against a cornerback on the backside of an unbalanced formation. He's also gotten better as a blocker this offsea- son, and he'll need to show that he's improved enough in that area to hold off Rappleyea in the lineup. Brahmer had only 1 catch against Mar- shall, but it was an 8-yard touchdown grab. A week later at Temple, he was the team's leading receiver with 5 catches for 79 yards and 2 touchdowns. 6. Brett Eskildsen | WR | Jr. Made the Bruce Feldman Freaks List? Check. Showed real consistency in camp af- ter an up-and-down sophomore season? Check. The last box for the junior receiver is becoming a true game-changer on the field. Eskildsen has the talent and put together a good camp, though he hasn't quite turned the corner from solid to su- perstar yet. We'll see if he can generate the explosive plays this offense needs to Senior quarterback Rocco Becht completed 13 of 18 passes for 271 yards and 4 touchdowns in Penn State's 45-0 victory over Marshall. PHOTO BY FRANK HYATT Junior wide receiver Brett Eskildsen caught 5 passes for 48 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown, in his first game as a Nittany Lion. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL