Pete Nakos tabs Penn State football a Transfer Portal winner

Penn State football head coach Matt Campbell's aggressive Transfer Portal activity was impressive to national media and analysts. ESPN ranked his 2026 transfer class in the top 10 and named quarterback Rocco Becht the top transfer from the group too.

Former Cyclones predicted to be difference-makers for Matt Campbell at Penn State

On3's Pete Nakos put his in two-sense regarding the Nittany Lions' transfer class, ranking it eighth overall in the country and just one of two Big Ten teams in the top 10. Indiana was ranked second behind LSU.

Texas Tech, Miami, Texas, Texas A&M, Ole Miss were the other programs above Penn State. Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech ranked ninth and 10th, respectively.

Pete Nakos says Matt Campbell brought in 'a core of experienced talent to lean on'

Campbell had no choice but to attack the Transfer Portal, especially knowing that he needed to rebuild a deflating roster and he had a bunch of names from Iowa State who were prepared to follow him to Happy Valley. However, just because he knew he had to hit the portal hard, doesn't mean he was going to be successful in doing so by default.

"Matt Campbell was going to have to rebuild the Nittany Lions' roster for the 2026 season. He accomplished that, bringing in 37 new players," Nakos wrote before mentioning Becht, specifically, as an experienced starter who can compete with others in the Big Ten despite his exclusive background with the Cyclones.

Becht isn't carrying the entire weight of the Transfer Portal class on his shoulders, however. Nakos called out tight end Benjamin Brahmer, safety Marcus Neal Jr., and cornerback Jeremiah Cooper as key, experienced players.

"[They give] Campbell a core of experienced talent to lean on who know the system and culture he is trying to build," Nakos wrote of his former Iowa State and new Penn State players.

There are two sides of familiarity and trust that comes with Campbell's roster. On one side, the Cyclones who followed him have that experience playing under him and his staff — some who also joined the Nittany Lions. On the other side, Campbell has returning Penn state players who are familiar with the standard in Happy Valley. That combination puts him in an ideal position moving forward roster-wise as he prepares for his first season in 2026.