Penn State football kicks off the 2026 season on Saturday in its Week 1 matchup vs. Marshall at Beaver Stadium. Head coach Matt Campbell and his staff have commended the Nittany Lions on their fall camp performances, but the real tests start now.
The three-week, non-conference slate won't show everything Campbell and Co. have up their sleeves, but the first few looks at this new Penn State crew still matter. As the team prepares for Big Ten play, this slate is an opportunity for the staff to work out the final kinks, watch the team chemistry on full display play out, and figure out the best 22 to put out on the field come Week 4.
Here are three position groups worth watching in the first three weeks of the 2026 college football season.
3.) Offensive line
Key players: Trevor Buhr, Brock Riker, Malachi Goodman, Vaea Ikakoula, Dominic Rulli, Anthony Donkoh, and Cooper Cousins
There's a decent combination of new Nittany Lions and returning faces, but nearly an entirely clean slate of starters coming off 2025. Campbell and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser have given this offensive line in Happy Valley a lot of high praise.
Buhr and Goodman are the two main players who will be the most exciting to watch, especially after Mouser named Buhr the camp MVP. The battle during camp has brought out the best in everyone, but these two in particular are standing out among the rest. That's not to say other guys, like Cousins and Riker, haven't put in the work, but Buhr and Goodman are clear pillars for this offensive line.
It'll be interesting to see how the fall camp work translates onto the field on game day. The staff said previously that the chemistry of this room has been impressive for a group who hasn't played together. With that, comes success; and that's what Mouser's seen from them throughout camp.
"We haven't had any glaring MA missed assignments, blown assignments. I mean, we've thrown a lot of different wrinkles and schemes and situations at those guys," Mouser told reporters previously.
2.) Linebacker
Key players: Tony Rojas, Kooper Ebel, Cael Brezina, and Alex Tastch
This is a fun position battle, and the non-conference slate is the perfect time for almost all of them to get some reps in if Campbell wants to see this room compete for the starting jobs.
Now that Caleb Bacon has transitioned to defensive end, a little more breathing room expanded for this room, but not very much. It's still a loaded linebacker room with a ton of depth. This three-game, non-conference slate is more like an NFL preseason for this position as Campbell assesses which linebackers separate themselves from the pack and solidify themselves as a long-term starter rather than a backup, rotational piece.
No matter what the outcome of this non-conference slate is for this room, Penn State won't have any issues with having linebackers step up when needed throughout the season.
1.) Wide Receiver
Key players: Brett Eskildsen, Chase Sowell, Koby Howard, Zay Robinson, and Amarion Jackson
Wide receiver is one of the bigger question marks heading into the season based on Penn State's history with this group. Eskildsen and Sowell following Campbell over to Happy Valley is more promising than relying on transfers in previous year, but we haven't seen them play at the Big Ten level yet.
So, the non-conference slate won't necessarily prove how well this group will play down the line of the season, but the first glances at the quarterback-receiver chemistry matter. The tight ends have been quarterbacks Rocco Becht's and Alex Manske's prime targets, which is great, but there has to be some meaningful production out of this wideout room.
That third wide receiver spot, too, is a question mark with Howard and Robinson. True freshman Jackson also has a chance in this non-conference slate to get at least some time on the field this season, but overall chemistry and that third wide receiver competition are the main storylines heading into the first three weeks of the season.
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