Heading into the season it looked like Penn State had one of its most talented offenses in a long time. Although there didn’t seem to be a single player that was exceptional, all of the skill position guys — like wide receivers Chase Sowell and Koby Howard — combined to create an intriguing collection of talent.
Howard was a breakout star before an injury sidelined him ahead of Week 4, and Sowell has been stepping up in his absence. The odd man out appears to be tight end Benjamin Brahmer, who is having a much quieter year than anticipated.
The Iowa State transfer was placed on multiple award watch lists this offseason, and it seemed like he would be one of the featured players in the offense. But through five games, he’s tallied just 178 receiving
yards, and has only one game with more than 50 yards.
Standing at 6-7 and weighing 250 pounds, Brahmer seemed poised to be a big threat in the middle of the field to open up the outside for the receivers. But that hasn’t been the case so far, as quarterback Rocco Becht has been unable to get him the football.
But with how much Penn State’s offense has been struggling in recent weeks, it could be the perfect time to get Brahmer involved. He was one of the best tight ends in his conference when he was with the Cyclones, earning second-team All-Big 12 honors in 2025, as well as being a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award.
Brahmer is also second among active FBS tight ends in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. He has the talent to be a guy that the offense runs through, but Matt Campbell and his staff have been unable to figure out how to feature him so far. Hopefully they can scheme up some targets for him this week and for the rest of the season because the offense could really use it at the moment.
Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Penn State TE Benjamin Brahmer having quieter season than expected
