Penn State top 5: Marshall comes to new-look Beaver Stadium
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Penn State begins a new era Saturday when it kicks off the 140th season of football, the first under new coach Matt Campbell.
The winningest coach in Iowa State history was hired in December and becomes the program’s 17th head coach in the season opener against Marshall.
Saturday’s opener is a 3:30 kickoff and will be broadcast on FS1. The Nittany Lions are 24-point favorites.
Here are five things to know heading into the season opener:
1. Rojas returns
Redshirt junior Tony Rojas makes his return to the field after missing the final eight games of the 2025 season following a knee injury.
In his fourth season — he is a redshirt junior — Rojas is playing for his fourth defensive coordinator in Happy Valley. He was injured in the Oregon game following a fast start to the year.
He had 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks in less than three games after starting all 16 games in the run to the CFP semifinals in 2024.
Rojas enters the season on watch lists for the Comeback Player of the Year, Hispanic College Football Player of the Year and Lott IMPACT Trophy.
2. New faces
Even though Penn State’s roster features 62 newcomers — including 22 true freshmen and 40 transfers — the Nittany Lions have plenty of experience.
Returnees such as Anthony Donkoh, Tony Rojas and Zion Tracy have all started more than 20 games for the Nittany Lions with Rojas and Tracy starting all 16 in 2024. The 40 transfers have a combined 337 career collegiate starts heading into Saturday.
Fifth-year senior Rocco Becht will make his 40th career start Saturday, the most among all active FBS quarterbacks.
3. New setting
More than half of Penn State’s roster will be playing in West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium for the first time on Saturday. And with the infrastructure in place for the west-side stadium renovations, the Lions’ home field looks drastically different even to the veterans.
Campbell admitted during a press conference this week, the first home game will be emotional.
“The reality is, when you love the sport and you love to watch your guys, you’ve seen how much they’ve sacrificed for these moments. I’m probably more excited for that, to be able to watch our football team grow forward starting on Saturday,” he said. “They’ve earned the right to get in the stadium. They’ve earned the right to get on this field and continue to define what they’re going to be, what kind of team we can become.
“There’s a great sense of gratitude to be here and be part of a great place like this, one of the cathedrals of college football. To be a part of that is awesome.”
4. Alumni everywhere
For his first coaching and support staff, Campbell has leaned into Penn State tradition with 11 former lettermen, led by the return of associate head coach Terry Smith and new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn.
Smith was the Lions’ interim coach for the second half of 2025 and led Penn State to a four-game win streak to close the season.
Lynn returns to Penn State after spending two seasons as the defensive coordinator at Southern Cal for Lincoln Riley.
Other members of the coaching staff include linebackers coach Dan Connor, assistant cornerbacks coach Jordan Lucas and assistant defensive line coach DeOn’tae Pannell.
5. Thundering Herd
Marshall is coming off a 5-7 season and will lean on dynamic quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson for coach Tony Gibson, who is entering his second year.
Del Rio-Wilson threw for 2,043 yards and 17 touchdowns and rushed for 660 yards and six touchdowns a year ago and will present a dual threat that can give teams fits early in the year.
There is some uncertainty on the other side of the ball. Cornerback Boogie Trotter, who led the Thundering Herd with 74 tackles and five interceptions in 2025, was ruled ineligible to play a fifth year this week.
He was removed from Marshall’s official roster midweek, but was back on the roster late in the week.
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