The transfer portal opens on Friday, January 2nd and we’ll have a full rundown of players to know, including a spreadsheet I’m linking right here. But before we do deeper dives into those guys, I wanted to start us off with some Iowa State names to know. I’d anticipate around 15 Iowa State players — some older guys, some younger guys — to make the move to Penn State, but here are 5 guys who really caught my eye for how they’ll be able to help right away in 2026.
QB Rocco Becht (Senior — 6’1, 200 pounds)
Career Stats: 9,274 passing yards, 64 TDs, 27 INTs, 499 rushing yards (2 YPC), and 19 rushing TDs
Alright, let’s start this one off hot. I know Ethan Grunkemeyer is well liked by Penn State fans, and for good reason — he did a very solid job down the stretch. If Matt Campbell and Penn State were to decide to rock with Grunk as their QB1, I would understand it. That being said, Rocco Becht is an exciting QB in his own right.
Becht is just a terrific fit for the modern college football offense that is RPO heavy. He has a super quick, compact throwing motion. He’s a very solid athlete who is a real threat to keep the ball on runs. He processes things quickly and has that general feel for running an RPO offense that you want to see. The quarterback in an RPO isn’t all that much different from being a point guard running a pick-and-roll. The *best* PGs have that innate feeling and understanding of how to operate it — when to attack, when to step back, when pass, when to kick it out, when to shoot, etc. For a QB in an RPO offense, it’s the same. Not that just every QB can do it.
Becht is on the smaller side for quarterback at a listed 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, and he’s been banged up in the past. He actually battled a shoulder injury through much of the 2025 season, one that needed surgery this offseason. He also trusts his arm a bit too much at times, and will try to force it into tight windows that just aren’t there. But man, I’d be lying if I didn’t say he’s got some Trace McSorley to him.
I don’t think Becht is someone who would come to the Big Ten and be a first-team all-conference type guy. But I think he’s a floor raisers who can absolutely lead a quality Penn State team to the CFP.
WR Chase Sowell (Senior — 6’3, 210 pounds)
2025 Stats: 32 receptions, 500 yards (15.6 YPC), 2 TDs
The Cyclones have two intriguing wide receivers in the portal in Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen, but if I were choosing one, I’d go with the former in Sowell. He’s bounced around a bit, starting his career at Colorado before exiting when the Deion Sanders Show arrived. He had two productive seasons at East Carolina, and then spent last season at Iowa State, where he really came on as the season went along. 50% of his receptions came in the month of November.
Sowell’s a big-bodied guy that’s a good athlete that can serve as a deep threat or an underneath option. I don’t think he’s a bonafide WR1 whatsoever, but he’s a WR2 on a solid team or a WR3 on a very good team. In any case, he’s a good piece to have out wide.
TE Benjamin Brahmer (Senior — 6’7, 255 pounds)
2025 Stats: 37 receptions, 446 yards (12.1 YPC), 6 TDs
Penn State always had good tight end play under Joe Paterno, but Bill O’Brien took it to another level as he really utilized them in the passing the game. James Franklin and Co. continued that, producing stud after stud after stud at tight end. Well, new offensive coordinator (and tight ends coach!) Taylor Mouser loves to use the tight ends too, routinely lining up in two or even three tight end sets at Iowa State. So the tight end staple in Happy Valley will continue on even under the new regime.
Getting back Andrew Rappleyea was a great first step. Now, the attention will likely turn to bringing in Benjamin Brahmer, who led the Cyclones in receptions and touchdowns in 2025. Brahmer reminds me a bit of former Penn State tight end Jesse James. He’s not the most fluid or sudden athlete, but like James, he really knows how to use his size and ginormous catch radius to be a cheat code in the middle of the field.
LB Caleb Bacon (Senior — 6’4, 240 pounds)
2025 Stats: 68 tackles, 9.5 TFLs, 3 sacks
A former walk-on, Caleb Bacon has become a stalwart on the Cyclones defense since taking over as a starter in 2023. He missed all but one quarter of 2024 with an injury, but has been super productive otherwise, totaling 128 tackles, 16 TFLs, 6 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles during those two full seasons.
As Bacon’s size would indicate, he’s at his best around the line of scrimmage and getting downhill to stop running backs. To put it simply: he’s an old school linebacker, man. I mean, look at this guy.
You could put him on Penn State’s 1986 team and he’d fit like a glove. Add in that he was essentially a unanimous selection as captain for Iowa State this past season, and I’d be surprised if Bacon wasn’t a priority target for Campbell and Co.
DB Marcus Neal Jr. (Junior — 6’1, 215 pounds)
2025 Stats: 77 tackles, 11 TFLs, 1 sack, 2 INTs
Maybe the best overall player for the Cyclones, Neal showed to be one of the best safeties in the college game in 2025. As his stats indicate, he is a wrecking ball when he gets moving to the line of scrimmage, showcasing his instincts and speed to bring backs and receivers down behind the line of scrimmage.
He played Iowa State’s “STAR” role, a position that’s become popular in recent years with the move to more 5 defensive back defenses. The STAR can vary depending upon the defense, whether it’s more of a corner/safety hybrid or a safety/linebacker hybrid. With Neal, it’s definitely more of the latter and those guys are generally harder to find than the corner/safety hybrid. There just aren’t a lot of dudes with Neal’s build that have his athleticism to play the spot correctly.
