With a massive roster churn through the transition from James Franklin to Matt Campbell, Penn State has plenty of positions up for grabs during spring football this year. One of the most important battles is at center, a position locked down by Nick Dawkins for the past two years.
With Dawkins gone, redshirt senior Dominic Rulli appeared to be next in line at the pivot point. He played 107 snaps at center last year, far and away the second most behind Dawkins, but Texas State transfer Brock Riker has seemingly thrown a wrench in that line of succession.
Rulli has been sidelined with an injury, and in his stead, Riker has gobbled up 1st-team reps, and seemingly, all the food in Happy Valley. According to Matt Campbell, who had a media availability on Thursday, the redshirt sophomore is up to 295 pounds and trending towards starting next season at 305, a 20-pound jump from his listed weight at Texas State, and 30 pounds more than his speculated playing weight.
Matt Campbell says transfer center Brock Riker is up to 295 pounds and trending toward 305 by season kickoff.
— Tyler Donohue (@TDsTake) April 9, 2026
Last year, Riker was a standout freshman starter for Texas State at 270-275 pounds. Getting a ton of 1st-team work with Dom Rucci sidelined.
“Brock’s taking advantage.”
Brock Riker is taking full advantage of a Power 4 strength staff
One of the biggest upsides to taking a transfer from a lower-level program is the possibility for expedited development once they get into a Power 4 strength and nutrition program. It’s the same for NFL teams drafting a player from a Group of Six school. There may be untapped potential, and clearly, there was with Riker. Now, he’s challenging for the starting center spot.
As a redshirt freshman, Riker allowed just seven QB pressures in 438 pass blocking snaps. He quickly became a stalwart at center for the Bobcats, and the 6-foot-4 former three-star is continuing on his massive upward trajectory.
He needed to add the weight to take on Big Ten defensive tackles, and if he’s maintaining his quickness and athleticism, he’ll be a really good player in the conference sooner rather than later.
With the influx of Iowa State players, Riker was something of an overlooked addition, but he won’t be for long if he wins the starting center job over Rulli. He was also a sneaky, crucial pickup to give Campbell and his staff a long-term answer at the center spot as Rulli enters his final year of eligibility.
Once upon a time, 2024 four-star Cooper Cousins was expected to grab the starting center job from Dawkins. Though theoretically, he has five-position versatility at 6-foot-6, 330, his best fit seems to be at guard, and that’s where he’s expected to start.
Campbell isn’t known for attracting top-ranked talent, but he and his staff are experts at finding diamonds in the rough. Riker might be the latest one they’ve uncovered.