Biggest Surprises From the First 10 Days of Penn State Football Camp

Biggest Surprises From the First 10 Days of Penn State Football Camp

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Biggest Surprises From the First 10 Days of Penn State Football Camp
Penn State Nittany Lions football coach Matt Campbell jogs at the start of a practice session inside Holuba Hall.
Penn State Nittany Lions football coach Matt Campbell jogs at the start of a practice session inside Holuba Hall. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Penn State is three weeks from its Sept. 5 opener against Marshall, meaning the preparation window is beginning to narrow. The Nittany Lions have about two weeks of training camp left before entering Week 1 prep, and there's still plenty to accomplish.

Head coach Matt Campbell turns toward Saturday's first major litmus test, as the Nittany Lions will scrimmage in Beaver Stadium. That's when a few of camp's early surprises will get a chance to test themselves against the program's top veterans.

Who have been some of those surprise Nittany Lions? Here's who the players and staff have pointed to as August eye-openers.

Quarterback Alex Manske

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Alex Manske talks with reporters during football media day in Holuba Hall.
Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Alex Manske talks with reporters during football media day in Holuba Hall. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Penn State wasn't sure what to expect from Manske, the redshirt freshman quarterback who missed spring drills with what Campbell called a medical condition. Manske was cleared to resume practice in early July, which Campbell said was "monumental" for the team, and has looked crisp and rust-free in practice.

"From not playing for a long time since last season, these are really his first reps," quarterbacks coach Jake Waters said. "But he [has] command of the offense. It wasn't moving too fast, which you expect a little bit. You're off for a long time, you get thrown into it and it starts to go."

Manske's return gives Campbell and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser a chance to breathe easier about the situation behind Rocco Becht. Quarterback was Penn State's most tenuous position before Manske returned. Now, the offensive staff has much more trust at the position.

Tight end Andrew Rappleyea

Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Andrew Rappleyea participates during a practice session inside Holuba Hall.
Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Andrew Rappleyea participates during a practice session inside Holuba Hall. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Campbell and Mouser, who also coaches tight ends, knew what they had in Rappleyea from watching his Penn State film from last year: a gritty, 6-4 blocking bulldozer in the run game who also has the hands to make back-of-the-end-zone catches.

Through the first part of camp, Mouser has been pleasantly surprised to find that Rappleyea is even more than that.

"Rappleyea's a guy that I had high expectations for, just seeing what he did last year and what his skill set is," Mouser said. "But he was hurt all spring, he was hurt all summer, just rehabbing and getting back. And now he's as healthy as I've seen him. He's so athletic and so twitchy, and has brought so much energy to our offense."

Receiver Brett Eskildsen

Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Brett Eskildsen (4) participates during a practice session inside Holuba Hall.
Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Brett Eskildsen (4) participates during a practice session inside Holuba Hall. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Campbell, Mouser and quarterback Rocco Becht know all about Eskildsen, who caught 30 passes for the Cyclones last year. However, Eskildsen didn't practice much during spring drills, so he flew under the radar at Penn State. Until training camp.

The 6-1 receiver from Texas has been a standout in August, flexing his speed, ability to separate and hands. He's even good with one, having made a one-handed deep reception in tight coverage against cornerback Audavion Collins early in camp.

Eskildsen became the first Penn State receiver to make Bruce Feldman's college football "Freaks List." Receivers coach Kashif Moore said Eskildsen is close to running 24 mph. For Penn State fans weary of the receivers narrative, all that is good news.

The competition at left tackles continues

Penn State Nittany Lions offensive line coach Ryan Clanton watches a drill during a practice session inside Holuba Hall.
Penn State Nittany Lions offensive line coach Ryan Clanton watches a drill during a practice session inside Holuba Hall. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It seems as though Penn State is really pushing the competition angle at left tackle, where redshirt freshman Malachi Goodman was the frontrunner through spring practice. This remains the most contested position on the roster and an intriguing place for an offense whose last two left tackles (Olu Fashanu and Drew Shelton) were drafted.

Goodman, the only 5-star recruit on Penn State's roster, is the position's future, though Garrett Sexton and Owen Aliciene continue to press him. As does offensive line coach Ryan Clanton.

"The biggest thing with [Goodman] is power and athleticism at the same time," Clanton said. "We've really been working on him to really uncoil to run through defenders, not to defenders. But I think he's been doing a great job. He's not a guy that you want to stand in front of in blocking drills."

A quarterback changes positions

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Peyton Falzone (14) in line for a throwing drill during practice at Holuba Hall.
Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Peyton Falzone (14) in line for a throwing drill during practice at Holuba Hall. | Mark Wogenrich | Penn State On SI

Peyton Falzone, a 3-star quarterback in Penn State's 2026 recruiting class, had two strong days last week working at tight end, where he moved about a week into camp. Just a few days before his first practice at tight end, quarterbacks coach Jake Waters said Falzone remained in his room while working on new aspects of his game.

Well, Campbell this week spoke glowingly about Falzone at his new position, hinting that it's more than a short-term option. Campbell and Mouser love tight ends, will recruit as many as they can and see something in Falzone that makes him a candidate to stay at the position.

"I'm proud of him," Campbell said. "He's done a great job. It's only been two days, and it will be a work in progress. That's not an easy move to make, but when you talk about athleticism, he had a couple big catches [Wednesday] and had a couple big catches again [Thursday], so we're really excited about what his future entails."

Some freshmen are rising

Receiver Amarion Jackson continues to raise expectations for playing time, which he began building during spring drills. As does redshirt freshman receiver Zay Robinson, a 5-11 transfer from Iowa State who is growing his reputation as a playmaker.

Defensively, safety Josiah Zayas is growing his profile in Penn State's deep secondary. Safeties coach Deon Broomfield called Zayas unique in that he can blitz and cover from the slot cornerback role, where 6-2, 211-pound freshman from New Jersey is training in August.

Zayas is bigger than fellow flex players Zion Tracy and Marcus Neal Jr. and likely will carve a role at least on special teams, particularly since he plays so physically. But look for him to get some snaps during the non-conference schedule.

Sign up to our free Penn State Nittany Lions newsletter and follow us on social media.

Today's best reads

This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/pennstate as Biggest Surprises From the First 10 Days of Penn State Football Camp.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos