What we saw from Penn State’s offense and defense during the 8th spring practice
Penn State took its eighth practice of the spring outside Thursday morning, with most of it open to the media. Here are our notes, observations and takeaways from the session, including a look at quarterback Rocco Becht.
Offense
- Rocco Becht once again got some throws in and looks how you’d hope a long-time starter would. His ball placement on air is good, and he’s got the athleticism to create time and space for himself when necessary as a runner. He’s also far and away the best quarterback the team has right now, with redshirt freshman Alex Manske recovering from an offseason procedure.
- That being said, Connor Barry continues to impress as the backup with Manske out. While there’s a gap between him and Becht, there’s another large gap between him and the two true freshmen quarterbacks, Kase Evans and Peyton Falzone, on the roster.
- While Evans has some clear upside to be an eventual starter, it still seems more likely than not that Falzone’s future is going to be at a different position. He has excellent size, athleticism and arm strength, but the throwing motion and accuracy are just not there and would take a serious overhaul for them to get there.
- Carson Hansen was the first running back up when the first-team offense went to work. He’s still the favorite to be the starter, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if James Peoples or Quinton Martin Jr. end up with at various points this season. Either way, this is a group that is going to rotate a good bit and all three will likely see the field quite a bit this fall.
- Starting wide receivers Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen did more Thursday than they did two weeks ago when practice was opened up. They’re the team’s two best receivers and will likely get the lion’s share of the reps this season.
- Koby Howard will have a good shot at a slot role, but if either Sowell or Eskildsen slides into the slot, Karon Brookins should get some looks on the outside. He’s an impressive athlete and has the size to go with it at 6-foot-5, 207 pounds. He has excellent short-area quickness despite being so tall.
- The first group of offensive linemen from left to right was Malachi Goodman, Trevor Buhr, Brock Riker, Cooper Cousins, Garrett Sexton.
- Anthony Donkoh will slot in at one of those tackle spots when he returns from injury, which is expected to be this fall.
- Tight end Ben Brahmer is massive at 6-foot-7 and moves very well. Andrew Rappleyea remained out of practice, but should be starting alongside him this fall, assuming the team leans heavily on 12 personnel.
Defense
- The team’s starting defense is pretty banged up, with Zion Tracy, Jeremiah Cooper, Max Granville and Tony Rojas, among others, all sitting out on field work. All four of those players are potential — if not likely — starters.
- Granville is still in the midst of recovering from a torn ACL. With fellow defensive end Yvan Kemajou limited, it was Ikenna Ezeogu and Alex McPherson lining up at defensive end. Those four players should make up the team’s core at defensive end this year.
- Armstrong Nnodim, Keanu Williams and Siale Taupaki all worked with the top group at defensive tackle, with Taupaki limited during practice. This is a very different group of defensive tackles than we’re used to seeing at Penn State, with all of them having excellent size.
- The team should have strong depth at linebacker when Rojas and Alex Tatsch return, with them, Caleb Bacon, Kooper Ebel and Cael Brezina all looking like strong contributors. Bacon could be used some as an edge rusher this year as well.
- The top two corners remain Audavion Collins and Daryus Dixson, and that should be the case most of the season. Dixson has been excellent in just over a year on campus and has elite length. Jahmir Joseph has shown a lot of promise at the position and was working with the second group.
- With no Tracy, it was Xxavier Thomas in the slot. Tracy, assuming he’s healthy, is far and away the team’s best option at that spot.
- No surprises at safety, where Marcus Neal Jr. and Jamison Patton led the way. Patton is one of the most physically impressive players on the roster. He and Neal should have no issues handling the physicality of the Big Ten.
- While the defense is dealing with a number of injuries, this is still likely going to be a very good group this year. While the offense will likely draw the attention from those on the outside, it’s the defense that will dictate how high the team’s floor is in Matt Campbell’s first season as Penn State’s head coach.
Scenes from practice
This story was originally published April 9, 2026 at 3:41 PM.
Jon Sauber
Centre Daily Times