Penn State football’s interior defensive line should get a boost ahead of its matchup with Buffalo on Saturday.

Defensive tackles Armstrong Nnodim and Alijah Carnell have returned to full health and will play against Buffalo, Matt Campbell announced Tuesday.

Campbell said both players could have played last week against Temple.

“We warmed up. Both those guys still weren’t 100%. It felt like they were at the point where if they did play, they can injure themselves, now all of a sudden we’re stunting getting them back 100%,” he said. “I think both those guys are a lot closer to 100%. I think both those guys will play.”

Nnodim, a redshirt sophomore, transferred to Penn State from Oklahoma State back in January. In his first season with the Cowboys, he started four of the 12 games he appeared in, totaling 11 tackles, two tackles-for-loss, and a sack.

The Mesquite, Texas, native has made his presence known in the locker room. Nnodim is often described as “loud” and a “glue guy,” reportedly taking it upon himself to sing happy birthday to each person in the Lasch Building.

“Armstrong is probably the brightest personality in the entire team,” strength coach Reid Kagy said. “If you haven’t figured it out yet, he’s loud. He does not mind talking, which is a great thing. Armstrong is a connector … Armstrong is a guy who brings everybody together on this team.”

Kagy built a connection with Nnodim when the defensive tackle arrived at Penn State, sitting down with him, the position coaches, and Campbell to devise a plan to elevate Nnodim’s game. The main goal was for him to slim down and improve his twitch off the line of scrimmage. Now at 310 pounds, Nnodim is still regularly called the “strongest player on the team.”

“He’s extremely physically talented. He makes me look good,” Kagy said.

Penn State’s starting right guard Cooper Cousins, who stands at 6’6″, 320 pounds, raved about the defensive tackle after the Blue-White Scrimmage.

“He’s an absolute bruiser. I mean, he’s hard to move. I think he’s 315 pounds. He’s got, like, 18% body fat. He’s a freak.”

Cousins says he believes going against Nnodim’s raw power in one-on-one pass rush drills has benefited his entire room of blockers.

“Having the opportunity to go against a guy like that in practice is huge, not only for the offensive line’s development, but for mine as well. We play against good D-tackles in the Big Ten, really all over the country. So to have someone like Armstrong there is huge.”

Nnodim entered summer training camp dealing with injuries, but has since recovered and should be ready to go on Saturday.

As for Carnell, he followed Campbell and others from Iowa State back in January. He appeared in 15 games over two years while with the Cyclones, racking up eight tackles and half a sack.

The Henderson, Nevada, native attended high school talent factory Bishop Gorman High School. In his senior year, he racked up 31 tackles, a tackle-for-loss, a sack, and five quarterback hurries. He committed to Iowa State as a three-star recruit in the Class of 2024.

Campbell praised the 6’5″, 299-pounder’s ability to play both inside and out along the line of scrimmage. Fast forward to the end of the Nittany Lions’ summer training camp, and Campbell named Carnell one of the most consistent defensive tackles.

It remains to be seen how Carnell will adjust to a scheme other than the 3-3-5 he played at Iowa State, but he and Nnodim’s demoralizing size, strength, and pass-rushing juice could elevate an interior defensive line already anchored by veteran run stuffers Siale Taupaki and Keanu Williams.