Penn State football is going to let the big boys eat on the defensive line this year.

After years of James Franklin’s “lean and athletic” defensive line, Matt Campbell has brought his physically dominant philosophy with him from Iowa State.

The Nittany Lions brought in four portal additions over 315 pounds, thanks to the help of new defensive line coach Ikaika Malloe, after not deploying a single defensive player over 300 pounds last season.

“We totally reshaped the D-line. I think my vision, our vision, [is to be] bigger and physical,” Campbell said at his signing day press conference. “This is the Big Ten, you’ve got to stop the run. We’ve got to be big and physical in there. I feel like, especially on the interior portion of the defensive line, I think we totally reshaped things.”

The transfer portal also brought a ton of experience to Happy Valley, with the likely starting tandem for Penn State holding over 12 years of combined college football experience.

Here’s a look into the defensive line room as a whole.

Projected Starters

From what we’ve seen so far, there are three guys battling for the starting defensive tackle roles in new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn’s defense.

The first two, Siale Taupaki and Keanu Williams, spent the last three years with Malloe at UCLA and bring tons of experience. Both players also played one season with new defensive coordinator Lynn at UCLA in 2023.

Taupaki appears to have one of the spots locked up after a 2025 season in which he had 15 tackles (eight solo), two tackles for loss, one sack, and one fumble recovery with the Bruins.

The 6-foot-2, 326-pounder brings seven years of Power Four experience to Happy Valley, enrolling with the Bruins in 2019. He was limited in the spring; however, due to an injury.

Williams also had a tremendous year with UCLA, recording at least one tackle per game on his way to 39 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and one pass breakup in 12 games. The former Bruin has five years of college ball under his belt, playing three in Los Angeles and two with Oregon.

The final piece of the starting puzzle is Oklahoma State transfer Armstrong Nnodim, another potential contributor for Penn State this fall, listed at 319 pounds. He played in 12 games last season, collecting 11 tackles, two tackles for loss, and one sack.

“The Pitbull”, as Malloe called him, received a ton of praise from offensive lineman Cooper Cousins during spring practice for being hard to move and a dominant bruiser on the line.

“He’s extremely talented,” director of strength and conditioning Reid Kagy said. “He’s extremely physically talented. He makes me look good. When he walked into our Day 1, he made this look good because of the way he looks. What’s been impressive is his work ethic.”

Supporting Cast

Penn State’s supporting cast on the defensive line is what can make the group so special this year. Already with Nnodim, Taupaki, and Williams making a strong top three, the additions of Dallas Vakalahi and Ty Blanding make up a potential five-deep rotation for the Nittany Lions.

Vakalahi is another transfer that was brought in this offseason, coming from Kyle Whittingham’s Utah team after he left for Michigan.

6-foot-2, 326-pounder has had an impressive two seasons for the Utes. In his freshman campaign, Vakalahi recorded 16 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, and 2 sacks. In 2025, despite battling injuries and only getting two starts, he had 11 tackles.

Blanding is the first returning Nittany Lion on the defensive tackle depth chart, but that doesn’t mean he won’t look different next season.

In 2025, Blanding played at around 290 pounds, mainly in the 3-tech role, and recorded 9 tackles and 2 TFLs. Heading into this season, he’s listed at 301 pounds, heavier, but likely still able to play outside of the guard.

Iowa State transfer Alijah Carnell could also see a depth role with the Nittany Lions this season. The 6-foot-5, 299-pounder played in 11 games for Campbell last season, putting up six tackles and half a sack.

Development Peices

Penn State’s defensive tackle room finished out with a trio of guys with three years of eligibility remaining. Caleb Brewer, De’Andre Cook, and Liam Mattews all returned to the Nittany Lions this season after seeing limited time in their first two years on campus.

Brewer hails from Reading, Pennsylvania, and has seen action thus far in his career, but was named the coaching staff’s Developmental Squad Offensive Player of the Week in the lead-up to the Ohio State game last year.

Andrews played in four games last season and started in one in 2024, but has yet to record any stats. He was named the coaching staff’s Developmental Squad Defensive Player of the Week twice in 2025.

Cook has also seen the field in four games—three in 2025 and one in 2024—but has no stats.