Penn State head coach Matt Campbell and offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Taylor Mouser have praised their tight end room over the summer, and fall camp is no different.
Redshirt senior Gabe Burkle, senior Benjamin Brahmer, and redshirt junior Andrew Rappleyea are the top three tight ends in that room who are expected to dominate the 12- and 13-personnel groupings Mouser has planned for the 2026 season.
However, the depth of that room has particularly stood out throughout camp.
Behind those three, the Nittany Lions have redshirt junior Finn Furmanek, redshirt sophomore Cooper Alexander, and former defensive end and redshirt junior Bobby Mears. Mears recently made the transition from defense to offense in order to add even more depth to that room. True freshman Peyton Falzone also made a position move from quarterback to tight end as Campbell and his staff believed his athleticism and skill set could be useful elsewhere on the field.
"We're excited about where that room, collectively, has the ability to be ... both quarterbacks I think have found those guys to be key pieces so far in the offense," Campbell told reporters Thursday.
Matt Campbell is still raving about his tight end room
He added that Furmanek has had some of his best practices over the past few days of camp and that Burkle is on track in his recovery process. Individual training sessions have gone well for those across the roster who are recovering from injury, per Campbell, and he plans on integrating Burkle back in slowly as to not rush his return.
Burkle, Brahmer, and Rappleyea combined totaled 928 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns on 83 catches in 2025. All three are big-bodied pass catchers and blockers as well. Having a fullback in rotation has also been a new part of Campbell's plan, which is a role Mears could fit into.
Penn State has been in the "Tight End University" conversations, but hasn't been solidified as the TEU. This tight end room Campbell and Mouser have put together, though, can help push that narrative further. Especially if these position changes with Mears and Falzone hit, the developmental piece of this tight end room will be impressive.
Not every tight end on the roster this season will play meaningful snaps, especially with that top trio expected to carry a majority of the workload. After 2026, though, Campbell and Co. will need tight ends to step up, so having those younger guys already standing out and improving is a good sign for the future of that room.
Similar to the older tight ends, quarterback Rocco Becht is also on his way out after the season. The fact that Campbell specifically said "both quarterbacks" — Becht and Alex Manske — are connecting well with the tight ends as a collective group is also a positive sign that the success produced in 2026 has the ability to carry over into the next season even if with new faces leading the charge.
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