Penn State adds starting running back Carson Hansen from Iowa State in portal
One of Iowa State’s best offensive players has committed to Penn State.
Running back Carson Hansen announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions on his personal Instagram account Sunday evening.
Hansen has run for at least 750 yards in the last two seasons, including 952 last year despite sharing a backfield with running back Abu Sama II, who recently committed to Wisconsin. The newest Nittany Lion ran for over 100 yards on six different occasions in 2025, including in games against BYU, Arizona State and TCU. His six rushing touchdowns were second on the team to quarterback Rocco Becht, who also committed to the Nittany Lions Sunday. Hansen has one year of eligibility remaining.
With Hansen on board, he’s now one of nine former Iowa State players to join new head coach Matt Campbell at Penn State, who joined the program from the Cyclones.
Becht and Hansen are joined by tight ends Benjamin Brahmer and Gabe Burkle, OT Will Tompkins, S Marcus Neal Jr., QB Alex Manske, WR Brett Eskildsen and LB Caleb Bacon.
Those additions come as Campbell reshapes the Penn State roster to begin his tenure leading the program. And they likely won’t be the last additions from the 2025 Iowa State roster.
