The transfer portal doesn’t open until Friday, January 2, and it stays open until January 16, so there is time for things to change, but so far, Matt Campbell has done an excellent job of roster retention in Happy Valley.
Most of the young players who still have eligibility on Penn State’s roster seem to be staying put through the transition from James Franklin, but that doesn’t mean that Campbell and general manager Derek Hoodjer won’t dip into the transfer portal to round out their first Penn State roster, especially to bring former Iowa State players from Ames.
That’s what Saturday Blitz college football expert Nicholas Rome is predicting with Cyclones tight end Benjamin Brahmer and cornerback Jontez Williams
Benjamin Brahmer and Jontez Williams predicted to follow Matt Campbell
Benjamin Brahmer was the second-leading receiver for Iowa State in 2025. The 6-foot-7, 255-pound junior tight end from Pierce, Nebraska, caught 37 passes for 446 yards and a team-high six touchdowns from quarterback Rocco Becht. Per Saturday Blitz’s transfer portal positional rankings, he’s the top tight end to announce his intention to transfer this offseason.
Penn State would almost certainly be appealing to Brahmer, not just because of his familiarity with Campbell and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser, but because of the program’s success in developing tight ends. Much of the infrastructure that produced Tyler Warren, Pat Freiermuth, Mike Gesicki, and so many others during the James Franklin era, including tight ends coach Ty Howle, is gone, but that history is still meaningful.
There are complications, though, for Brahmer. First is the question of whether or not Penn State will add Becht, who is also heading to the portal, for his final season of eligibility or roll with Ethan Grunkemeyer after an impressive showing in the Pinstripe Bowl and down the stretch of the regular season. Second, is the fact that because Penn State has had so much success developing tight ends, there are two very good ones already entrenched in Happy Valley.
Andrew Rappleyea, who caught 20 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns in 2025, has announced his intention to return to the Nittany Lions for 2026, his redshirt junior season, and former five-star rising junior Luke Reynolds, who reeled in 26 passes for 257 yards as a sophomore, is also likely to be back in tow. That would be a crowded tight end room for Brahmer to enter, even if he is the most proven player of the bunch.
Williams doesn’t have the same issues. He’d be playing for a new defensive coordinator, D’Anton Lynn, who left USC to join Campbell’s staff after Campbell’s longtime DC Jon Heacock announced his retirement, but with A.J. Harris entering the transfer portal, there’s a CB1 vacancy for Williams to fill.
Penn State has useful young players at cornerback, who Campbell would certainly like to retain, particularly Daryus Dixson, who impressed in his true freshman season. However, none of them would preclude the Nittany Lions from adding a player of Williams’ caliber. Like Brahmer, he was Saturday Blitz’s top transfer at his position.