Penn State football offensive lineman Anthony Donkoh announced his decision to stick it out with the Nittany Lions on Dec. 30, 2025. The redshirt junior wasn't always sold on Happy Valley being his spot, though.
Big decisions had to be made for all Penn Staters eligible to return. Many made their way to the Transfer Portal, but the players head coach Matt Campbell retained were critical. Donkoh was one of them.
"They made me a priority," Donkoh said, according to Tyler Donohue of Lions247. "I can see where what they have planned for us is going to take us, and where they're plan for me is going to take me . . . These guys are great people, great humans. That's one of the biggest reasons why I stayed. I love these guys. They're a group of great, genuine people."
Donkoh joined the Nittany Lions as a four-star, Class of 2023 recruit. He was the 415th-ranked prospect overall, No. 29 interior offensive lineman, and No. 9 recruit out of Virginia, per 247Sports Composite rankings.
Dating back to 2024 when he was a redshirt freshman Donkoh made 21 starts. He made four appearances as a true freshman in 2023, played in 11 games with 10 starts at right tackle in 2024, and appeared in all 13 contests in 2025 with 11 of those being starts. The only two games he didn't start for were at UCLA and versus Northwestern.
"You want to talk about who's the leader, he's the leader," Campbell said, according to Donohue. ". . . one of the best players here, has got a chance to be one of the absolute best players in our football program."
Offensive line coach Ryan Clanton said Donkoh is only halfway to where he can be, and that's he's excited to unlock the rest of his potential in the backhalf of the lineman's collegiate career.
"Obviously his football traits are off the charts," Clanton said. "But there's still a lot of stuff that we have to do to make him elite, rather than just a really good college player."
Donkoh agreed, saying "there's a lot of meat left on the bone for me," but also added that he trusts that the new coaching staff in Happy Valley can kickstart the rest of his development. When Florida offensive line coach Phil Trautwein was at Penn State, he believed Donkoh's potential would lead him to playing guard. For the redshirt junior, though, he feels most at home at tackle.
"Tackle is fun because I'm able to just play the way I want to play. I felt like playing guard, I was very constricted a lot of times, and not able to play to my strengths," Donkoh said. "At the end of the day, I was going to play whatever position that I needed to play, and I was going to play at a high level. But, for me to be myself and play the way I want to play, tackle is the best position for me."
That's exactly where Clanton believes Donkoh will play best at too.