Matt Campbell has arrived in Happy Valley, and he isn’t at Penn State to wait around to start making massive moves within the program.
As the transfer portal officially opened on Friday, Campbell has been at the forefront of some of the best players in the transfer window on the offensive side of the ball.
Campbell’s protege, Rocco Becht, whom he coached at Iowa State, is strongly rumored to be making a move to Penn State. And on Saturday, they inked one of the star players Becht could be throwing to in 2026.
Iowa State tight end Benjamin Brahmer will be a Nittany Lion, he tells reporters at On3.
The highly-touted tight end had three strong years as a Cyclone, with 2025 being his best yet. A 6-foot-7 giant with confident hands, he caught 37 passes this most-recent campaign for Iowa State for 446 yards and six touchdowns.
Brahmer was ranked by 247Sports as the second-best tight end in the transfer portal.
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Coincidentally, the first-ranked tight end, nearly identical in evaluation to Brahmer, is Penn State’s Luke Reynolds. While Brahmer is more of a developed product and should come into Happy Valley immediately ready to compete as one of the best players at his position in the country, Reynolds might have a higher upside.
Whereas Brahmer is joining Penn State to reconnect with his 2025 coach, Campbell, Reynolds is expected to do the same by joining Virginia Tech and its new coach, James Franklin.
Campbell could bring over a slew of Cyclones players by the time the transfer portal closes, as Iowa State has seen most of its starting roster depart.
The transfer portal officially closes on Jan. 16, 2026.
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