Matt Campbell’s first Big Ten Media Days as the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions got underway on Tuesday, and he began it by sharing injury updates during his beat writer availability.
Before taking the podium at Noon CT, Campbell let reporters know that key returners Tony Rojas and Anthony Donkoh will both be ready to go for the start of fall camp, among other positive injury updates.
Takeaways from #PennState beat's interview with Matt Campbell:
— Rich Scarcella (@nittanyrich) July 28, 2026
Jeremiah Cooper, Alex Tatsch, Gabe Burkle will be ready to play sometime in September.
Tony Rojas, Anthony Donkoh, Andrew Rappleyea will be ready for start of camp.
"Monumental" to have QB Alex Manske ready for camp.
Tony Rojas and Anthony Donkoh cleared for camp: Penn State injury updates
On top of integrating 39 incoming transfers to the program, Campbell and his staff were tasked with navigating an injury-riddled spring. All three of the players he brought with him to Chicago for Big Ten Media Days- starting QB Rocco Becht, RT Anthony Donkoh, and LB Tony Rojas missed significant time recovering from injury.
Becht returned for the end of spring, and now Donkoh, Rojas, and tight end Andrew Rappleyea will be set to return for fall camp.
Donkoh suffered a season-ending injury in November and underwent an unspecified “medical procedure.” He also missed the end of the 2024 season after starting much of that year at right tackle. He played right guard last season with Nolan Rucci at right tackle and is now expected to slide back out to tackle for his redshirt junior campaign.
Like Donkoh, Rojas saw the field early in his Penn State career, but unlike his fellow 2023 commit, Rojas had not faced a serious injury in college until he tore his ACL in a late-September practice after the Nittany Lions’ loss to Oregon.
Rather than heading out the door at season’s end, both Donkoh and Rojas decided to stay in Happy Valley and have presumably been key pieces in easing the transition for Campbell, the new staff, and the 54 newcomers on the roster.
An underrated piece of this news is about one of those newcomers, QB Alex Manske. He is ready for fall camp after missing the spring recovering from a procedure. Manske was not on campus for much of spring, but is the front-runner to be QB2 behind Becht and has familiarity in OC Taylor Mouser’s offense from his time at Iowa State.
Rappleyea largely supplanted former five-star Luke Reynolds as the top tight end last season. He also missed the spring after suffering a lower-body injury early in the offseason. He will factor in a crowded tight end room with Iowa State transfers Benjamin Brahmer and Gabe Burkle, the latter of which won’t be ready until September, according to Campbell’s Tuesday statements.
Jeremiah Cooper, Gabe Burkle, and Alex Tatsch expected to be ready in September
Jeremiah Cooper missed most of last season for Iowa State with a torn ACL. The safety was a big-time get for Penn State off Campbell’s roster in Ames. He, Burkle, a redshirt senior tight end from Iowa State, and Tatsch, a rising sophomore who stayed at Penn State, are all expected back in September.
Luckily, Penn State has a long runway to start the season, playing Marshall, Temple, and Buffalo in non-conference play before hosting Wisconsin to start its Big Ten slate.
Add us as a preferred source on Google