Penn State entered fall camp relatively healthy and exited it just the same. The Nittany Lions didn’t suffer any major setbacks leading up to Week 1 preparations for Saturday’s season-opener against Marshall, and the few players who entered camp with limitations are seemingly getting closer to taking the field.
On Tuesday, in his first game-week press conference of the season, the first-year head coach of the Nittany Lions was asked about those three players: Jeremiah Cooper, Alex Tatsch, and Gabe Burkle, and was forthright about their injury designations for Week 1.
“I’d say Jeremiah Cooper is probably in the ‘probable’ category,” Campbell said. “He’s probably the closest to being able to play this week… I think Gabe and Tatsch are probably on track for Week 2, so I would say they’re ‘doubtful’ this week.”
Penn State Week 1 injury update:
- S Jeremiah Cooper: probable (knee)
- LB Alex Tatsch: doubtful (undisclosed)
- TE Gabe Burkle: doubtful (knee)
Matt Campbell can be patient with his injured players through non-conference
Cooper and Burkle are both Iowa State transfers whom Campbell is intimately familiar with. They both started for the Cyclones last season and played significant roles. They’re expected to do the same for the Nittany Lions in 2026.
If Cooper is 100% as he returns from a torn ACL he suffered in late September last season, there’s little downside to working him into the safety rotation against Marshall on Saturday, but if there’s any risk of reinjury or lingering soreness, Penn State should, and has the luxury of, erring on the side of caution.
Penn State has one of the easiest schedules in the country this season. That is primarily due to a favorable draw in the Big Ten, which has Campbell’s team avoiding the “big three” of Indiana, Ohio State, and Oregon. However, it’s also because of a three-game non-conference slate to open the season against non-Power Conference programs.
The Nittany Lions kick off the year at Beaver Stadium hosting Marshall, then they’ll head to Philadelphia to play Temple, presumably in front of a very friendly crowd, before returning home in Week 3 to host Buffalo. Upsets are always a possibility, but even good players like Cooper, Tatsch, and Burkle likely won’t be the difference between a win and a loss against that caliber of opponent.
Tatsch missed the Pinstripe Bowl last season with an undisclosed injury, and his recovery has bled into the start of 2026. Burkle, like Cooper, is recovering from a significant knee injury, but his was suffered two months later, in November, so his timeline is pushed back.
Penn State should aim to have all three back in at least a limited capacity by Week 3, to give them a chance to shake off the rust against Buffalo before hosting Wisconsin in Week 4.
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