Previewing the 2026 season for Penn State OL Vaea Ikakoula
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Penn State football will have a completely overhauled roster to get to know in 2026 under new head coach Matt Campbell. Following one of the most active offseasons in recent memory for Penn State with a flurry of activity in the transfer portal, fans will have a lot of catching up to do in getting to know this year's Penn State roster. Fortunately, not every face will be brand new to fans. Regardless, we will be here to give you a fresh overview of every player on the roster for the 2026 season with a series of player profiles.
From all of the returning players, a long list of new faces from the transfer portal, and incoming recruits from the Class of 2026, we will have you covered with this year's player profiles for the Penn State roster. Here is a quick look at offensive lineman Vaea Ikakoula for the 2026 season.
Preseason Player Profile
- Hometown: Lale, Hawaii
- Height: 6-3
- Weight: 339
- Class in 2026: Redshirt Freshman
Recruiting Rankings
Class of 2025: Composite 3-star recruit, No. 122 interior offensive lineman per 247Sports
Vaea Ikakoula was a three-star recruit out of Salt Lake City, Utah in the Class of 2025 who committed to Matt Campbell at Iowa State. Ikakoula picked Iowa State over offers from Stanford, California, Boston College, and Oklahoma State, among others. Penn State was not among the schools to recruit Ikakoula out of high school. Ikakoula was rated as a three-star transfer player by 247Sports as he was among the many to follow Campbell from Iowa State to Penn State since last season.
Career Stats
As a true freshman at Iowa State, Vaea Ikakoula played in four games for the Cyclones. That included two starts.
Depth Chart Overview
It appears likely that Vaea Ikakoula will be playing a reserve role for the Penn State offensive line this season. He is positioned to play guard for the Nittany Lions but the starting jobs appear to be taken by Cooper Cousins on one side and Trevor Buhr on the other. Both of those players have a leg up in starting experience that Penn State will rely on this fall, but Ikakoula will be a name to watch for as a potential top backup option.
Random Fact
Although he was recruited out of the state of Utah, Ikakoula is a native of Hawaii and won a state championship with Kahuku High School before moving to Salt Lake City, Utah.
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: 2026 Penn State football: Vaea Ikakoula player profile
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