Notes, observations & takeaways from Penn State football’s second spring practice

Penn State took the field in Holuba Hall for practice Thursday morning, and opened the majority of it to the media. Here are our notes, observations and takeaways from the program’s second practice of the spring.

Offense

• Quarterback will always be the focal point, especially when there’s a new one at the helm, and Thursday was no different. Rocco Becht is still not going live as he recovers from offseason surgery on his non-throwing shoudler, but he was able to throw during portions of practice.
• Becht looked good when he did throw. Many of his best attributes are going to show up more in games than in practice — his toughness and his willingness to make tight window throws — but he’s still going to need these reps to get on the same page with his receivers.

• His availability was always going to be crucial moving forward, but even moreso now that, according to multiple sources and as first reported by On3’s Sean Fitz, backup quarterback Alex Manske will be out for the spring. Manske was set to be Becht’s backup.
• That will mean even more reps for transfer Connor Barry and freshmen Kase Evans and Peyton Falzone. Falzone has a lot of natural arm talent, but there’s a lot of work that needs to be done there to get his accuracy where it needs to be. Given his physical tools, a move to tight end would still make sense down the line.

• The team’s expected starting wide receivers, Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen, were both limited and are expected to be for most of the spring.
• That allowed for some focus on young players. Among them, Koby Howard and Ben Whitver stood out. Howard is physically impressive and has proven he can separate as a route-runner. Whitver, who joined the program this winter as a high school recruit, looks really good as a route-runner. He has excellent short-area quickness and looks like there’s something to work with there. It will be worth monitoring his progress and what it means for how much he can contribute in the first couple years of his career.
• On the offensive line, Dom Rulli and Anthony Donkoh were both absent from practice, clearing the way for Brock Riker at center and a few young players at tackle. That includes redshirt freshman, and former five-star recruit, Malachi Goodman. He’s got great size and length and it’s easy to see why he was so highly touted. He should be able get reps this fall and push for a starting job along the offensive line.
• From talking to people in the building throughout the offseason, and in on the record media sessions, it’s clear that physicality is going to be a massive point of emphasis on the offensive line. Cooper Cousins and Trevor Buhr both stand out in that regard.

Defense

• Penn State is going to emphasize communication on this defense, something safeties coach Deon Broomfield emphasized post-practice. It was clear during team work that players are talking as much as possible to make sure everyone is on the same page.
• When the first group of defenders lined up for a walk-through, it was Ikenna Ezeogu and Mason Robinson at defensive end, with Liam Andrews and Armstrong Nnodim at defensive tackle. Nnodim stands out physically. He’s listed at 6-foot-2, but is probably shorter than that. He more than makes up for it physically with his immense strength.

• The second group on defense had Alexander McPherson and Dayshaun Burnett at defensive end, with Keanu Williams and Alijah Carnell at defensive tackle.
• Tony Rojas was a limited participant as he continues to work back from his torn ACL, but lined up alongside Alex Tatsch at linebacker for some non-contact team work. Those two, Kooper Ebel, Cael Brezina and Caleb Bacon figure to be the top five at linebacker as things stand.
• Versatility is going to be a point of emphasis in the secondary. Zion Tracy has received plenty of praise for his work back there, and Jeremiah Cooper should play a similar role as a safety and nickel corner. Tracy has split his time between position groups between the safeties and the corners.

• Audavion Collins, Daryus Dixson and Jahmir Joseph are the top three corners on the outside right now.
• Marcus Neal Jr. is going to be a leader on the defense and will be one of the most impactful defenders the team has — and potentially one of the best safeties in the country.
• Josiah Zayas has stood out at safety to Broomfield. The true freshman has been working at the position despite being listed as a corner on the team’s roster and has been in constant communication with him to help with the mental aspect of the game.

This story was originally published March 26, 2026 at 2:38 PM.

Jon Sauber

Centre Daily Times

(814) 231-6461

Jon Sauber covers Penn State football and men’s basketball for the Centre Daily Times. He earned his B.A. in digital and print journalism from Penn State and his M.A. in sports journalism from IUPUI. His previous stops include jobs at The Indianapolis Star, the NCAA, and Rivals.