Much of Penn State’s roster for Matt Campbell’s first season has been built through the Transfer Portal. However, one of the areas where there will be a few familiar faces is the offensive line. Anthony Donkoh is back and likely moving out from right guard to right tackle, Cooper Cousins will finally get his shot to start at guard, and former five-star Malachi Goodman is expected to win the left tackle job as a redshirt freshman.
Those roles aren’t set in stone, but with those three as likely starters, that leaves two spots for transfers: left guard and center. Iowa State transfer Trevor Buhr will start at left guard, while Texas State transfer Brock Riker figures to slot in at center ahead of returning Nittany Lion Dominic Rulli. That plan at center, though, may be hitting a bit of a snag based on Penn State’s new updated roster.
This week, Penn State updated its roster weights, revealing significant transformations for a number of players compared to this March, the last time the roster was updated. One of the players who didn’t see a change, though, was Riker, whose rapid physical development seems to have stalled, weighing in at 291 pounds.
Matt Campbell’s dream of Brock Riker playing at 305 is starting to sound far-fetched
At a media availability in April, Campbell told the reporters on hand in Happy Valley that Riker, who arrived at about 275 pounds, which was his playing weight in the Sun Belt, was up to 295 pounds. That’s a massive growth and a direct reflection of what Big Ten weight training and nutrition can do for a former Group of Six player.
Further, Campbell indicated that Riker was trending towards playing at 305 this year for the Nittany Lions. At 6-foot-4, he seems to have a great frame to add weight, and judging from Campbell's assessment a few months ago, the additional weight wasn’t hindering his athleticism. Now, it seems that weight gain has stopped, and it’s hard to know why.
Riker was 291 on the roster in April, and he was listed at 291 again this June. Did Riker max out his frame much quicker than Penn State expected? Did Campbell, with his strength and conditioning coach Reid Kagy, decide that Riker was best to stay at 291? And most importantly of all, will he have the strength to move Big Ten defensive tackles and anchor in pass protection at 291?
Now, to be clear, 6-foot-4, 291 pounds is not a small human being, even by Big Ten offensive line standards. If that’s the weight he’s best at, then he should stay at that weight and forgo his efforts to put on 14 more pounds by Week 1. If not, though, this could suddenly open the door for Rulli to reenter the starting center battle.
Riker was such a high-upside addition in the Transfer Portal this offseason because of the potential to add weight and strength with Big Ten resources. In 2025, as a redshirt freshman, Riker earned second-team Freshman All-American honors from The Athletic. That’s the caliber of player Penn State got, and already, he’s added 16 pounds. That might be enough to excel in the Big Ten, but that his trajectory has changed so dramatically from heading towards 305 to being stuck at 291 is certainly notable.
Is it a problem? We won’t know until either he loses the starting job to Rulli or he takes the field as the starter this fall and faces Big Ten competition.
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