The five men tasked with protecting Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht and opening up holes for Penn State’s running backs were named by head coach Matt Campbell after Tuesday’s practice.

Redshirt freshman Malachi Goodman will make his debut in the blue and white, sliding in at left tackle, while Iowa State transfer Trevor Buhr holds down the left guard spot.

Goodman, a former four-star recruit out of the Class of 2025, doesn’t have the live game reps typically coveted in a blindside protector, but according to the veteran Buhr, that won’t be an issue.

“The confidence he’s shown and the speed that he plays at, you’re not gonna have to worry about him doing [anything] crazy,” said Buhr. “I’m excited to get out there with him. We’re going to run the ball, and it’s gonna be a good time.”

Continuing down the line, Brock Riker has secured the starting center position over Dominic Rulli and will be tasked with touching the rock each and every play, while helping Becht digest the defense at the line of scrimmage.

“We’ve got a good connection going right now,” said Becht. “He’s a leader of that offensive line. He makes all the calls, has great communication with the rest of the four guys on the line.”

Riker transferred from Texas State, where he allowed zero sacks across 438 pass-blocking snaps in 2025 and earned second-team Freshman All-American honors from The Athletic.

Next to Riker is Cooper Cousins at right guard, pursuing his first true starting campaign since he arrived in Happy Valley in 2024.

Lastly, Anthony Donkoh, who was described as a prototypical tackle by Penn State’s offensive line coach Ryan Clanton, has reclaimed his starting gig at right tackle.

The average size of Penn State’s starting offensive line weighs in at a gargantuan 319 pounds, and that’s without the extra mass that Cousins dropped over the offseason.

“Somebody asked me the question last week about MVPs at camp, and I probably left [Cousins] out because I think he’s made the most monumental growth in terms of [losing] 15 pounds,” Campbell said. “I think he’s physically as dominant as I’ve seen him, at least from the videotape that I was able to watch a year ago, and what I watched this morning. I thought he had an unbelievable camp for us.”

While there is a ton, no pun intended, of talent along the starting five, Penn State’s offensive staff continues to rave about the depth of the room and its ability to compete with Penn State’s best defensive players at times.

“I think you know Owen Aliciene and [Garrett] Sexton are guys who have done a good job. [They’re] young guys who have popped in camp, and those guys are going against the one defense most of the time, too. So for those guys to play well against that says a lot, in my opinion,” offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser said.

Sexton, in particular, has been praised for his positional versatility, with his head coach saying he can swing between both guard and tackle.

In a perfect world, the Nittany Lions wouldn’t have to play their top offensive lineman reserves unless it’s during a blowout victory, but Campbell believes there’s a strong chance the backup unit will be able to further develop on a week-to-week basis at this rate.