You think you know Penn State football. You probably grew up watching the whiteouts, hearing the "We Are" chant rattle the stadium, and expecting at least ten wins like clockwork. But if you look at the penn state nittany lions football players who just finished the 2025 season, you'll see a roster that lived through one of the weirdest, most polarizing years in Happy Valley history.
It started with a No. 2 preseason ranking. It ended with a Pinstripe Bowl win over Clemson and a head coach, James Franklin, packing his bags for Virginia Tech. Honestly, it was a mess. But within that mess, some of these athletes did things that actually rewrote the record books.
The Singleton and Allen Era: Record Breakers in a Losing Season
Let's talk about the backfield. If there was one bright spot, it was Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen. They’ve been the "Law Firm" for years, but 2025 was their final act.
Singleton is a beast. Period. On November 29, 2025, during a game against Rutgers, he did something most people thought was impossible. He scored his 54th total touchdown. That’s the most ever for a Penn State player, officially pushing Saquon Barkley into the second spot. Think about that for a second. Saquon is a generational talent, and Singleton just outproduced him on the stat sheet.
His partner, Kaytron Allen, wasn't just sitting around watching. Allen actually became the Nittany Lions' all-time leader in rushing yards earlier in November, surpassing Evan Royster. We’re talking about two penn state nittany lions football players who are arguably the best duo to ever wear the blue and white, yet they played on a team that finished 7–6.
It’s kinda tragic. You have these two NFL-bound stars putting up historic numbers while the rest of the team was basically falling apart around them.
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Why the 2025 Roster Flipped
The mid-season collapse was brutal. After a 3-0 start, the team lost to Oregon in double overtime and then dropped a game to a winless UCLA team as 25.5-point favorites. That’s the kind of loss that gets coaches fired. And it did.
James Franklin left mid-season, and Terry Smith took over as the interim. By the time Matt Campbell was hired from Iowa State to lead the 2026 squad, the transfer portal didn't just open—it exploded.
The Great Exodus: Where the 2025 Stars Are Now
If you're looking for your favorite penn state nittany lions football players from last year, you might need to buy a Virginia Tech or Tennessee jersey. It’s wild. Fifty players entered the portal this January. That is nearly half the roster.
- Ethan Grunkemeyer: The quarterback who looked like the future after a stellar Pinstripe Bowl performance? He’s expected to follow James Franklin to Virginia Tech.
- Luke Reynolds: The 5-star tight end who had a bit of a "sophomore slump" but remains a physical freak? Also headed to Blacksburg.
- A.J. Harris: A two-year starter at corner and a guy who basically anchored the secondary. He’s taking his talents to Indiana.
- Chaz Coleman: This one hurt the fans. He was graded as the top freshman defensive end in the country last year. He’s gone to Tennessee.
It’s basically a total reboot. Matt Campbell is bringing in a bunch of guys from Iowa State—like quarterback Rocco Becht and linebacker Caleb Bacon—to try and fill the holes left by the outgoing stars.
Abdul Carter: From State College to New York City
You can't talk about penn state nittany lions football players without mentioning Abdul Carter. While the 2025 team was struggling, Carter was cementing himself as a top-three NFL draft pick.
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The New York Giants took him 3rd overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, and it’s easy to see why. The guy is a "rabid" pass rusher, a term the Giants' own scouting reports used. He moved from linebacker to defensive end and just started wrecking game plans. In his final collegiate year (2024), he had 23.5 tackles for loss. That’s not just good; it’s an FBS-best.
He’s the closest thing we’ve seen to Micah Parsons. Fast. Twitchy. Violent at the point of attack. If you’re a Penn State fan, watching him in the NFL is basically the only thing that’s going to take the sting out of this recent portal massacre.
The Drew Allar Paradox
Then there’s Drew Allar. The 6'5" quarterback from Medina, Ohio, was supposed to be the "Chosen One." His stats are actually pretty good on paper—he ranks first all-time at PSU in completion percentage ($62.9%$) and has the lowest interception percentage in school history.
But stats don't tell the whole story. Allar missed significant time in 2025 with injuries, and the "big game" wins just never quite materialized. He’s a pro-style guy in an era that’s moving toward dual-threat chaos. Whether he stays or goes, his legacy at Penn State will always be a "what if."
What’s Left for the 2026 Season?
So, who is actually staying? It’s a short list, but there’s some talent there.
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Tony Rojas is still in the linebacker room. He’s a junior now and is going to have to be the "alpha" of that defense. On the offensive line, Cooper Cousins and Anthony Donkoh are coming back. These are massive human beings who actually played well even when the scoreboard didn't look great.
Matt Campbell is basically building "Iowa State East." He’s brought in over a dozen players from his former school. It’s a gutsy move. You’re swapping out 4-star and 5-star Penn State recruits for "high-motor" guys from the Big 12.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you're trying to keep track of this chaotic roster, here is how you should handle the 2026 season:
- Follow the Portal Weekly: With 50 players out and 20+ coming in, the roster you see in spring practice will not be the one you see in September. Use the 247Sports Transfer Tracker; it’s the only way to keep the names straight.
- Watch Virginia Tech: It sounds weird, but the "Penn State South" experiment in Blacksburg is going to be a major storyline. If Grunkemeyer and Reynolds blow up there, it’s going to raise a lot of questions about the player development in State College over the last few years.
- Temper Expectations: This is a Year 0 situation for Matt Campbell. With the loss of Singleton, Allen, and Carter, the "star power" is at a ten-year low.
The era of the "big name" penn state nittany lions football players might be taking a backseat to a more developmental, blue-collar approach. It’s a hard pill to swallow for a fan base used to elite recruiting rankings, but after the 2025 collapse, maybe a change in philosophy is exactly what the program needs.
The record books show that the talent was there—the wins just weren't. Now, we see if the "new" Nittany Lions can do more with less.