Penn State’s backfield lost two of its most prolific rushers ever with the graduations of Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. The new look running back room will have one known face to first-year coach Matt Campbell as Carson Hansen has joined the list of Ames-to-State College transfers.
Hansen played three years for Iowa State, starting for two of them. In 2025, he totaled 952 yards (5.1 YPC) and scored six touchdowns. He also caught 19 passes for 134 yards. The Minnesota native was named second-team all conference in the Big XII.
As a sophomore, Hansen ran for 752 yards and scored 13 touchdowns, while also catching a pair of scoring passes. Back in 2023, as a freshman, Hansen was a productive backfield receiver as he averaged 10.5 yards per catch on 11 receptions.
Hansen was the Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year twice during his prep career. He was rated as a three-star recruit and chose Iowa State over Kansas State, Northwestern, and Wyoming.
Hansen’s knowledge of Taylor Mouser’s offense should certainly give him a leg up in battling for carries in what figures to be an otherwise wide-open running back room. Penn State remains linked to other transfer running backs, while Quinton Martin – who ran for better than 100 yards in the Pinstripe Bowl – has announced that he is returning to Penn State.
Learn more about Carson Hansen with Landon Tengwall’s breakdown below:
