Penn State Nittany Lions
Big Ten
0-0 (0-0 conf)
SP+ #15
Ratings
2025 final
- SP+
- 18.1 (#15)
- SP+ Offense
- 35.1
- SP+ Defense
- 18.8
- SRS
- 14.4
- FPI
- 15.9
- Elo
- 1954
- Talent
- 910
- Recruiting
- 194 (#65)
2026 Outlook
Projected wins
9.1p10 7.0 — p90 11.0
| Round | Prob | |
|---|---|---|
| Win conference | 5.9% | |
| Make CFP | 41.9% | |
| Quarterfinal | 25.6% | |
| Semifinal | 8.8% | |
| Natl. final | 2.5% | |
| Natl. champ | 0.9% |
Schedule
proj record 9.1–2.9
Schedule
38th
toughest of 136
Offenses faced
48th
toughest of 136
Defenses faced
28th
toughest of 136
Strength of schedule — how tough this team's opponents are, ranked 1 (hardest) to 136 (easiest) · by 2025 SP+.
| Wk | Opponent | SP+ | Score | Proj | Win% | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vsMarshall | -4.5 | 39-11 | +28.2 | 96% | — |
| 2 | @Temple | -5.1 | 38-18 | +20.1 | 89% | — |
| 3 | vsBuffalo | -7.5 | 41-10 | +31.9 | 97% | — |
| 4 | vsWisconsin | -4.4 | 33-16 | +16.3 | 84% | — |
| 5 | @Northwestern | +5.8 | 34-21 | +12.5 | 77% | — |
| 6 | vsUSC | +16.9 | 26-25 | +0.7 | 51% | — |
| 7 | @Michigan | +12.4 | 24-28 | -3.8 | 41% | — |
| 9 | vsPurdue | -6.1 | 37-17 | +20.7 | 89% | — |
| 10 | @Washington | +18.4 | 23-26 | -3.4 | 42% | — |
| 11 | vsMinnesota | +1.5 | 33-18 | +15.2 | 82% | — |
| 12 | vsRutgers | +1 | 33-16 | +17.0 | 85% | — |
| 13 | @Maryland | +0.6 | 36-22 | +13.9 | 80% | — |
Quarterbacks · 3
2026 · 60
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | Rocco Becht← Iowa State | JR | 6'1" | 210 | ★★★★ |
| QB | 2nd | Alex Manske← Iowa State | FR | 6'3" | 225 | ★★★ |
| QB | — | Connor Barry← Christopher Newport | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Running Backs · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 1st | Carson Hansen← Iowa State | JR | 6'2" | 220 | ★★★ |
| RB | 2nd | James Peoples← Ohio State | SO | 5'10" | 206 | ★★★ |
| RB | 3rd | Cam Wallace | SO | 5'9" | 208 | ★★★ |
| RB | 4th | Quinton Martin Jr. | FR | 6'1" | 206 | ★★★★ |
| RB | 5th | Tyler Holzworth | SR | 6'0" | 219 | — |
Wide Receivers · 10
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st | Trebor Pena | SR | 5'10" | 186 | ★★★ |
| WR | 2nd | Brett Eskildsen← Iowa State | SO | 6'1" | 200 | ★★★ |
| WR | 3rd | Chase Sowell← Iowa State | JR | 6'3" | 210 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 4th | Devonte Ross | SR | 5'10" | 170 | — |
| WR | 5th | Kyron Hudson | SR | 6'1" | 215 | — |
| WR | 6th | Koby Howard | FR | 5'11" | 202 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 7th | Liam Clifford | SR | 6'1" | 206 | — |
| WR | 8th | Zay Robinson← Iowa State | FR | 5'11" | 185 | ★★★ |
| WR | — | Karon Brookins← Iowa State | FR | 6'5" | 200 | ★★★ |
| WR | — | Keith Jones Jr.← Grambling | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Tight Ends · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | Benjamin Brahmer← Iowa State | JR | 6'7" | 255 | ★★★★ |
| TE | 2nd | Gabe Burkle← Iowa State | JR | 6'6" | 255 | ★★★ |
| TE | 3rd | Khalil Dinkins | SR | 6'4" | 251 | — |
| TE | 4th | Andrew Rappleyea | SO | 6'4" | 251 | ★★★★ |
| TE | 5th | Cooper Alexander← Iowa State | FR | 6'4" | 245 | ★★★ |
Offensive Line · 2
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OT | — | Kuol Kuol II← Iowa State | FR | 6'6" | 290 | ★★★ |
| OT | — | Will Tompkins← Iowa State | FR | 6'5" | 300 | ★★★ |
Defensive Line · 10
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE | 1st | Yvan Kemajou | FR | 6'3" | 250 | ★★★★ |
| DL | 1st | Keanu Williams← UCLA | SR | 6'5" | 320 | ★★★ |
| DL | 2nd | Ikenna Ezeogu← Iowa State | JR | 6'5" | 285 | ★★★ |
| DL | 3rd | Siale Taupaki← UCLA | JR | 6'4" | 335 | ★★★ |
| DL | 4th | Armstrong Nnodim← Oklahoma State | FR | 6'2" | 290 | ★★★ |
| DL | 5th | Dallas Vakalahi← Utah | SO | 6'2" | 313 | ★★★ |
| DL | 6th | Alijah Carnell← Iowa State | FR | 6'5" | 290 | ★★★ |
| DT | 1st | Alonzo Ford Jr. | SR | 6'2" | 305 | — |
| DT | 2nd | Ty Blanding | SO | 6'1" | 292 | ★★★ |
| EDGE | 1st | Alexander McPherson← Colorado | FR | 6'6" | 240 | ★★★ |
Linebackers · 6
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | Kooper Ebel← Iowa State | JR | 6'4" | 235 | ★★★ |
| LB | 2nd | Caleb Bacon← Iowa State | SR | 6'4" | 240 | ★★★★ |
| LB | 3rd | Dominic DeLuca | SR | 6'1" | 227 | — |
| LB | 4th | Cael Brezina← Iowa State | SO | 6'3" | 235 | ★★★ |
| LB | 5th | Tony Rojas | JR | 6'2" | 230 | ★★★★ |
| LB | 6th | Alex Tatsch | FR | 6'2" | 231 | ★★★★ |
Defensive Backs · 13
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | 1st | Audavion Collins | JR | 5'11" | 180 | — |
| CB | 2nd | Zion Tracy | JR | 5'11" | 180 | ★★★★ |
| CB | 3rd | Daryus Dixson | FR | 6'0" | 191 | ★★★★ |
| CB | 4th | Jahmir Joseph | FR | 6'0" | 189 | ★★★★ |
| CB | 5th | Ibn McDaniels← Syracuse | FR | 6'3" | 205 | ★★★ |
| S | 1st | Marcus Neal Jr.← Iowa State | SO | 6'1" | 215 | ★★★★ |
| S | 2nd | Jamison Patton← Iowa State | JR | 6'2" | 210 | ★★★ |
| S | 3rd | Omarion Davis← Boston College | FR | 5'11" | 188 | ★★★ |
| S | 4th | Chris Fileppo← West Virginia | FR | 6'4" | 208 | ★★★ |
| S | 5th | Jeremiah Cooper← Iowa State | SR | 6'0" | 195 | ★★★ |
| S | 6th | Vaboue Toure | FR | 6'1" | 210 | ★★★★ |
| S | 7th | Karson Kiesewetter | SO | 5'10" | 194 | — |
| S | — | Hunter Sowell← Iowa State | FR | 5'10" | 170 | ★★★ |
Special Teams · 6
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K | — | Cristiano Rosa← James Madison | JR | 6'0" | 207 | — |
| LS | 1st | Tyler Duzansky | SR | 6'4" | 222 | — |
| P | 1st | Gabriel Nwosu | SR | 6'6" | 292 | — |
| P | 2nd | Nathan Tiyce← Mississippi State | FR | 6'2" | 210 | ★★★ |
| PK | 1st | Ryan Barker | SO | 6'2" | 202 | — |
| PK | — | Matthew Parker | FR | 6'0" | 218 | — |
Projected Season
2026 · win prob / game
Exp. Wins
9.1
Exp. Losses
2.9
Toss-ups
3
bars: model win probabilityfav / toss-up / dog
2025 · pct vs FBS
SP+ Off
35.188
Off PPA
+0.2379
Pass PPA
+0.2967
Rush PPA
+0.2185
Success
46%82
Explosive
1.2026
PlayerMedian (50th)percentile vs league
Advanced
2025 · opponent-adjusted PPA / play
| Split | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | +0.23 | +0.10 |
| Passing | +0.29 | +0.16 |
| Rushing | +0.21 | +0.10 |
| 1st Down | +0.18 | -0.01 |
| 2nd Down | +0.09 | +0.06 |
| 3rd Down | +0.51 | +0.49 |
Scoring Trend
2025 · pts/game
PPG For
31.8
PPG Against
21.4
Differential
+10.3
— Points for— Points against
dots: W / L2025
- Overall
- 6-6
- Home
- 4-3
- Away
- 2-3
- Conference
- 3-6
- Non-Conference
- 3-0
- One-Score (≤8)
- 1-5
- Avg Margin
- +10.3
Situational Splits
2025 · record · pts
| Split | Record | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | |||
| Home | 4-3 | 34.0 | 15.1 |
| Away | 2-3 | 28.6 | 30.2 |
| Neutral | 1-0 | 22.0 | 10.0 |
| Competition | |||
| vs Ranked (SP+ 25) | 0-4 | 21.5 | 30.0 |
| Conference | 3-6 | 27.7 | 26.7 |
| Non-conference | 4-0 | 38.5 | 6.8 |
Season History · last 12
5 AP top-10 · 11 postseason
| Season | Record | Conf | SP+ | AP | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6-6 | 3-6 | #15 | #2 | 1-0 |
| 2024 | 11-2 | 8-2 | #5 | #3 | 2-1 |
| 2023 | 10-2 | 7-2 | #5 | #6 | 0-1 |
| 2022 | 10-2 | 7-2 | #8 | #7 | 1-0 |
| 2021 | 7-5 | 4-5 | #19 | #4 | 0-1 |
| 2020 | 4-5 | 4-5 | #16 | — | — |
| 2019 | 10-2 | 7-2 | #6 | — | 1-0 |
| 2018 | 9-3 | 6-3 | #15 | — | 0-1 |
| 2017 | 10-2 | 7-2 | #6 | — | 1-0 |
| 2016 | 11-2 | 9-1 | #11 | — | 0-1 |
| 2015 | 7-5 | 4-4 | #32 | — | 0-1 |
| 2014 | 6-6 | 2-6 | #36 | — | 1-0 |
Recent Form · last 5
4-1 SU · 3-1 ATS · O3/U1
Betting Profile
2025 · 12 w/ line
| Straight up | 7-6 |
| ATS | 4-833% |
| Over / Under | 8-4 O-U |
| — ATS splits — | |
| As favorite | 2-7 |
| As underdog | 2-1 |
| Home | 2-5 |
| Away | 2-3 |
vs closing line · splits show cover–no cover
Recruiting Classes
avg #18 · 153 blue-chip
■ 5★■ 4★■ 3★207 rated signees
| Class | Natl | Pts | 5★ | 4★ | 3★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | #65 | 194 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 2025 | #15 | 255 | 0 | 20 | 2 |
| 2024 | #15 | 266 | 0 | 16 | 4 |
| 2023 | #14 | 270 | 0 | 18 | 4 |
| 2022 | #6 | 279 | 3 | 12 | 5 |
| 2021 | #21 | 216 | 0 | 7 | 6 |
| 2020 | #15 | 256 | 0 | 12 | 5 |
| 2019 | #12 | 271 | 1 | 15 | 0 |
| 2018 | #6 | 286 | 3 | 12 | 8 |
| 2017 | #15 | 240 | 0 | 11 | 7 |
247Sports composite · class rank vs all FBS
Roster Talent
2026
Portal in 38net -10Out 48
Portal avg stars (in / out)3.1 / 3.2
Notable Portal Moves
| ▲ | Rocco Becht | QB | 4★ | ← Iowa State |
| ▲ | Benjamin Brahmer | TE | 4★ | ← Iowa State |
| ▲ | Chase Sowell | WR | 4★ | ← Iowa State |
| ▲ | Caleb Bacon | LB | 4★ | ← Iowa State |
| ▼ | Chaz Coleman | EDGE | 5★ | → Tennessee |
| ▼ | Luke Reynolds | TE | 4★ | → Virginia Tech |
| ▼ | Xavier Gilliam | DL | 4★ | → Tennessee |
| ▼ | Ethan Grunkemeyer | QB | 4★ | → Virginia Tech |
returning PPA · portal · talent composite · 2026
Injury Report · 0
No injuries reported.
Team News
20 items
- USA TODAY ranks Penn State's Beaver Stadium among best in the Big TenPenn State's Beaver Stadium continues to shine as one of the best in the Big Ten heading into the 2026 season despite undergoing renovations.PSU6h
- USC opposing player scouting report - Anthony Donkoh, Penn StateAnthony Donkoh is a seasoned veteran on Penn State's offensive line. What will USC's defensive line achieve against him? It's a big question
- Penn State schedule makes College Football Playoff real possibilityPenn State got one of the most favorable schedules in the FBS this year, and ESPN reporter Greg McElroy can see a playoff push because of it.PSU14h
- Only Gregg Garrity’s 47-yard Touchdown Catch in the Sugar Bowl Until Penn State FootballWe’re only 47 days away from Penn State’s season opener, so how about whetting your appetite with a look back at one of the most iconic moments in program history? New Years’ Day 1983: With the Nittany Lions just beyond midfield and clinging to a tenuous 20-17 lead over Georgia in the fourth quarter of […]PSU16h
- The Question Every Penn State Offensive Starter Has to Answer This SeasonThe Nittany Lions' offensive starting 11 looks solid but isn't without questions.PSU17h
- Pat Narduzzi Calls for Revival of Storied Rivalry Between Penn State and PittsburghOpposing head coach Pat Narduzzi calls for the revival of the storied rivalry between Penn State and Pitt.PSU1d
- Penn State Gets Another Playoff Prediction, Albeit One That Needs ExplanationWhat ESPN's Greg McElroy gets right and wrong about the 2026 Nittany Lions.PSU1d
- This Week in Penn State Football: How NIL Shaped the 2027 Recruiting ClassExamining the role NIL has played in Matt Campbell's 2027 recruiting process.PSU1d
- Why Penn State Could Revisit the Possibility of Playing Pitt AgainNew Nittany Lions coach Matt Campbell is a fan of college rivalries and has first-hand experience with Penn State-Pitt.PSU2d
- Previewing the 2026 season for Penn State K Matthew ParkerPenn State reserve kicker Matthew Parker is entering his second season with the Penn State program.PSU2d
- Previewing the 2026 season for Penn State DE Bobby MearsRedshirt junior Bobby Mears will hope to get on the field at some point during the 2026 Penn State football season.
- James Franklin's ACC media day sounds familiar to Penn State fansFormer Penn State head coach James Franklin is playing some of his greatest hits in his first ACC media day appearance with Virginia Tech.PSU2d
- ESPN's big question for Penn State football in 2026Penn State will have the James Franklin cloud hovering above it this football season, according to ESPN.PSU2d
- Where Are They Now? Catching up With Penn State's Transfer Portal DeparturesNearly 50 Nittany Lions transferred out of the program, including several who will make major impacts with their new teams.PSU2d
- Former Head Coach James Franklin Takes Another Shot at Penn StateFormer Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin took yet another shot at his situation in Happy Valley.PSU3d
- Penn State 2026 Breakout Candidates: Defensive EndIn a position room with lots of uncertainty, plenty of guys are primed for breakout seasons.PSU3d
- Only Cooper Cousins Until Penn State FootballWe’re exactly 50 days away from Penn State kicking off its 2026 football season against Marshall, and today we’re honoring a person who is widely expected to help anchor the offensive line. After seeing playing time mainly on special teams as a freshman, Cooper Cousins saw action on the O-line as a sophomore last season, […]
- Grok simulates Penn State's 2026 season with shocking resultsAn AI simulation by Grok offers a fascinating look at the 2026 Penn State football season and playoff chances.PSU3d
- Two key defensive 2026 prospects join football rosterPenn State football adds four late enrollees to its 2026 roster including defensive prospects Elijah Reeder and Keian Kaiser.PSU4d
- Penn State: James Franklin Defends Raiding Former Players in Transfer PortalReuniting with a dozen former Nittany Lions in Blacksburg, the new Hokies coach views the transfer portal as a tool to mitigate risk through established trust.PSU4d