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Matt Campbell and three of Penn State’s best players — quarterback Rocco Becht, offensive lineman Anthony Donkoh and linebacker Tony Rojas — will represent the program at Big Ten Media Days on July 28 in Chicago.
The start of Penn State preseason practices will begin in early August.
You guys get it. Football season is almost here.
After a nice little summer hiatus, the time is right for plenty of questions and comments from Nittany Lions fans.
Hey, Bob! is back.
(Some comments have been edited for clarity.)
Hey, Bob!
After last year, I was thinking Andrew Rappleyea would be the next in a long line of outstanding tight ends, but this offseason most of the coverage has focused on Benjamin Brahmer. How much of a talent gap is there between Benjamin and Andrew? — CP, Philadelphia, Pa.
Penn State has become a tight end factory in recent years. I wrote about the position earlier on Tuesday.
Go back to the 2015 class with Jesse James. Mike Gesicki, Pat Freiermuth, Brenton Strange, Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren followed.
Brahmer was a second-team All-Big 12 pick for Iowa State last season. He was a semifinalist for the John Mackey Award, presented to the nation’s top tight end.
Rappleyea, limited to one game in 2024 due to an early-season injury, emerged as the Lions’ top tight end in 2025 while performing in a rotation with Khalil Dinkins and Luke Reynolds.
Rappleyea caught touchdown passes in Penn State’s final three games. During the second half of the regular season, Rappleyea drew raves from Terry Smith, who was the Lions’ interim head coach at the time.
I look forward to watching Brahmer play in the fall. When Becht was on the practice field in the spring, the chemistry between the quarterback and Brahmer was noticeable.
Both are NFL-caliber talents.
Penn State fans should be on the lookout for another Penn State tight end, Gabe Burkle.
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Burkle is another Iowa State transfer. The veteran made 15 starts for the Cyclones during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
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