Updated Penn State Football Projected Starting Lineup Through Week 2 of Camp

Penn State has been on the practice field for training camp since Aug. 5. As the season-opener against Marshall on Sept. 5 approaches, Matt Campbell and the Nittany Lions are working to solidify their Week 1 starting lineup.

Some changes can be made to the starting lineup projections we released before fall camp began, particularly on defense. Otherwise, a bunch of players seem locked into starter status after our looks at Penn State’s open practices.

That said, here’s our updated projection at the Nittany Lions’ offensive and defensive starting lineups through two weeks of training camp.

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht participates during a practice session inside Holuba Hall. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Penn State's projected offensive starters

Transfers noted with an asterisk.

Position	Player	Year
Quarterback	Rocco Becht*	Senior
Running Back	Carson Hansen*	Senior
Left Tackle	Malachi Goodman	Freshman
Left Guard	Trevor Buhr*	Junior
Center	Brock Riker*	Sophomore
Right Guard	Cooper Cousins	Junior
Right Tackle	Anthony Donkoh	Junior
Tight End	Ben Brahmer*	Senior
Wide Receiver	Chase Sowell*	Senior
Wide Receiver	Brett Eskildsen*	Junior
Wide Receiver	Koby Howard	Sophomore

Penn State offensive notes

Penn State Nittany Lions offensive line coach Ryan Clanton, center, watches a drill in a practice session at Holuba Hall. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It’s difficult to change any projected offensive starters from the beginning of training camp. There are position battles at center and left tackle, but the frontrunners at both spots are still the projected starters.

Texas State transfer Brock Riker and redshirt senior Dominic Rulli are in possibly the closest position battle on the team, as offensive line coach Ryan Clanton recently said it’s a “pretty tight race” between them at center. Riker was a freshman All-American by The Athletic last season and has been working on his communication skills this offseason, with Clanton asking tim to practice calls in a hotel bathroom mirror.

“Go through the script, start yelling,” Clanton said. “You might sound crazy, but you gotta practice. … Brock is a phenomenal talent. His communication skills, he's gaining confidence really in his ability in the offense. He's still got a lot of stuff to clean up, too.”

In other words, Riker seems to have the most potential at the position. However, the longer it takes for him to be ready for Big Ten play, Rulli will have a better chance to start as a program veteran. Riker has just under three weeks until the season starts, so he still has some time to separate himself from Rulli.

At left tackle, Malachi Goodman is a former 5-star recruit and is expected to be the starter. But Campbell wants to push him along in his development in fall camp, so Goodman still isn’t locked into the spot.

However, offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser said that Goodman has been “awesome.” “It feels like [left guard] Trevor [Buhr] and Malachi, for being an older guy and a younger guy, have played together for a long time,” Mouser said.

Fellow tackles Garrett Sexton and Owen Aliciene are pushing Goodman in training camp, and Clanton has a goal for him during these practices.

“The biggest thing with him is power and athleticism at the same time,” Clanton said. “We've really been working on him to really uncoil to run through defenders, not to defenders. But I think he's been doing a great job. He's not a guy that you want to stand in front of in blocking drills.”

The only other position that could see change is running back, where Quinton Martin Jr. and James Peoples have drawn buzz during camp. Carson Hansen will likely be the starter with his experience at Iowa State, but expect Martin and Peoples to get involved as well, in addition to Cam Wallace, making this a four-way competition for opportunities.

Receivers Chase Sowell, Brett Eskildsen and Koby Howard have all impressed in camp. And there have been no surprises with quarterback Rocco Becht, tight end Ben Brahmer, left guard Trevor Buhr, right guard Cooper Cousins and right tackle Anthony Donkoh, who all remain projected starters.

Penn State’s Matt Campbell introduces you to Bill Brasky, aka tight end Ben Brahmer. He’s 6-7, runs “almost 22 mph” and competed in 7 events at his state track meet. pic.twitter.com/g2hqmT7yGi
— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) July 29, 2026

Penn State's projected defensive starters

Player	Position	Year
Defensive End	Ikenna Ezeogu*	Senior
Defensive Tackle	Siale Taupaki*	Senior
Defensive Tackle	Keanu Williams*	Senior
Defensive End	Yvan Kemajou	Sophomore
Linebacker	Tony Rojas	Junior
Linebacker	Kooper Ebel*	Senior
Nickel	Zion Tracy	Senior
Cornerback	Audavion Collins	Senior
Safety	Marcus Neal Jr.*	Junior
Safety	Jeremiah Cooper*	Senior
Cornerback	Daryus Dixson	Sophomore

Penn State defensive notes

Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Audavion Collins (2) runs with the ball during a practice session inside Holuba Hall. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The defensive line had the most questions entering training camp, but some of those appear to be answered. Ikenna Ezeogu has proven he can be the No. 1 defensive end and has played like that during open practices.

“He is an NFL player in my mind,” edge rushers coach Christian Smith said at media day. “He has the size, he has the speed, he has the strength. It's just our job to get him to videotape evidence. But his eye is not on just the NFL. It's about us having success, him being the best player for us to play winning defense and for us to win stuff.”

Who plays at the other starting defensive end spot is up in the air, with several players to watch. Among those is linebacker Caleb Bacon, who is practicing with the defensive ends as Campbell said Penn State would be “missing the boat to not add his multiplicity.”

Yvan Kemajou could be the other projected defensive end starter, with Smith saying his athleticism is standing out in training camp. It also wouldn’t be surprising to see Max Granville or Alexander McPherson win this job either.

Defensive tackle is a three-man race for the two starting spots between senior Siale Taupaki, senior Keanu Williams and sophomore Armstrong Nnodim. Taupaki is in his eighth year of college football, so he likely gets one of the jobs on the line.

While Nnodim has made his presence known as a player and a leader, Williams is expected to be “an elite defensive tackle in this conference this year,” according to Cousins. It’s hard to ignore that comment, so he’s projected to start with Taupaki. Cousins also said Nnodim is “built and chiseled" for his size.

The first-team defense has used a 4-2-5 scheme during practices, so linebackers Tony Rojas and Kooper Ebel are the only projected starters. This makes cornerback Zion Tracy the projected starter at nickel.

Injuries are the only way Penn State’s secondary starters could change. Cornerback Daryus Dixson has been sidelined for a few practices, and safety Jeremiah Cooper, who participated in more drills Monday than he did at the start of camp, is working his way back from an ACL tear. If Cooper doesn’t start the opener, fellow Iowa State transfer Jamison Patton will. Or Tracy could shuffle to that role.

There is good news for the Nittany Lions on the injury front, however, as Cooper said on Aug. 7 that he’ll be “real good very soon” and “should be there” for the season-opener. Campbell also recently said none of Penn State’s injury issues are long-term.

Penn State LB Tony Rojas details how defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn approaches teaching, installation and play-calling differently than his past coordinators. pic.twitter.com/2GzNnPomqB
— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) July 29, 2026

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