The Transfer Portal officially opened on Friday Morning, opening the floodgates for thousands of college football stars to find new teams. After James Franklin's firing, Matt Campbell takes over a Penn State program hungry for postseason success which makes his first offseason even more important. As the Nittany Lions lose a loaded veteran core, Campbell is going to need to make a splash in the Transfer Portal.
We've seen in this Transfer Portal era that the best way for a head coach to quickly build a winner is by poaching players from their last program. When you look at the roster Matt Campbell had at Iowa State, it's clear that he could quickly build a winner at Penn State if he plays his cards right.
Matt Campbell turns to a familiar face for big Transfer Portal win
Once the Transfer Portal opened on Friday, players quickly set up visits to their next potential schools. Players from Iowa State are going to quickly end up following their head coach to Penn State. On Saturday Afternoon, Penn State made it's first splash of what should be an exciting Transfer Portal cycle, landing Iowa State TE Benjamin Brahmer.
BREAKING: Iowa State transfer TE Benjamin Brahmer has Committed to Penn State, he tells @On3sports
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 3, 2026
Through 3 seasons with the Cyclones he totaled 75 receptions for 977 yards and 9 TDs
One of the Top TEs in the portalhttps://t.co/RlUbB6Fk7q pic.twitter.com/bhmWLw7hCf
Among the players from Iowa State that were most important for Matt Campbell to land, Benjamin Brahmer ranked near the top of that list. Penn State's tight end play obviously took a step back after losing Tyler Warren and with exciting underclassman Luke Reynolds entering the Transfer Portal, the Nittany Lions needed to add a star.
Benjamin Brahmer is currently the top ranked Tight End in the Transfer Portal in the Saturday Blitz Transfer Portal Rankings.
Adding Brahmer serves as a great short-term addition for the Nittany Lions as he has just one season of eligibility remaining. The Iowa State transfer instantly gives Penn State a weapon in the receiving game after catching 37 passes for 446 yards and 6 touchdowns. If Matt Campbell is able to close out his former quarterback Rocco Becht, having chemistry in the passing attack would be a great way to avoid a rocky start.