College football is fundamentally changing and has been for years. The NIL and transfer portal eras have changed the culture around players, reducing loyalty to programs and shifting the focus from needing to win to simply wanting to win.

While fans are having a harder time than ever connecting with players making hundreds of thousands of dollars and changing schools every year, some old-school players are still hanging on to their loyalty to a program.

Some players still make you scream that little bit louder from the stands on Saturday because you know you might help them. Some players still make you even more emotional after wins and losses because you know not only did Penn State win, but so did they.

For me, Penn State football offensive lineman Anthony Donkoh is just that.

Donkoh joined Penn State as a freshman in 2023. After making only four appearances in his first season, Donkoh jumped into action in 2024, making 11 appearances and 10 starts as a redshirt freshman.

He continued his excellent play into 2025 — despite all the nonsense going on around the program at the time — and appeared in every game for Penn State.

Now, in 2026, Donkoh has become an elite NFL prospect at tackle, with teammates like Cooper Cousins calling him “the best tackle in the country.”

Just look at the push he gets on this block against Purdue:

You need to know about Anthony Donkoh. He'll be on your TV on Sundays next year. pic.twitter.com/M26blNijJq

— T-FrankOn3 (@ThomasFrankCarr) November 2, 2026

While there’s no doubt Donkoh can play with the best on the offensive line, his on-field talent isn’t what stands out most. Rather, it’s his loyalty to Penn State football and everyone who wears the blue and white on Saturdays.

The 2025 season was a disaster for almost everyone involved with the program. A year that started with national championship hopes ended with a Pinstripe Bowl victory over Clemson and a barely over-.500 finish. The season saw a six-game skid and the firing of long-time Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin.

While the team had every chance to quit on the season — with many players seemingly doing so — Donkoh remained in the trenches and kept a positive attitude.

He was the first to protect interim head coach Terry Smith after losses, and the first to congratulate him after wins. In a sense, Donkoh became the face of the Smith movement among Nittany Lion fans.

After beating Nebraska 37-10, the offensive lineman found the NBC cameras and shouted, “Hire this man immediately. Immediately hire this man,” while holding up the famous “Hire Terry Smith” sign.

“HIRE THIS MAN IMMEDIATELY!”

Safe to say @PennStateFball players want interim head coach Terry Smith brought on full time

: NBC pic.twitter.com/0NRS1sLVTP

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 23, 2025

A few weeks earlier, Donkoh gave Smith a huge embrace after the interim head coach’s first win in that position against Michigan State.

While Donkoh said the moment was out of love, it also became a symbol for Penn State fans looking for a little bit of happiness in the 2025 season.

“I was happy because we got our first (Big Ten) win, but so happy that it was our first win with Coach Terry … He’s an amazing coach, and I just wanted to make him feel that he was being loved from all of us,” Donkoh said after the 28-10 win over the Spartans.

For any Penn State fan celebrating with the team, Donkoh’s emotions were not only relatable but also deeply appreciated. I, for one, teared up for the players who had worked so hard in a season that gave them little rewards.

Donkoh was a large reason for those tears.

Fast-forward a few months, and Donkoh has a prime opportunity to join the nearly 50 other Penn State players in the transfer portal. A player of his talents could have gone almost anywhere and asked for almost any amount of money.

Instead, he stayed.

And not only did he stay, but he was also the first to announce it.

“To get [Anthony] Donkoh to come back, and what he’s about,” Matt Campbell said in February. “That guy, you want to talk about who’s the leader, he’s the leader. 3.8 [GPA] student, one of the best players here, has got a chance to be one of the absolute best players in our football program.”

Donkoh stayed and immediately worked to recruit other Nittany Lions to do the same. Donkoh, fellow Nittany Lions offensive lineman Cooper Cousins, and others led a charge that helped a ton of talent stay in Happy Valley.

He also did so without complaint — at least publicly.

“I want to be a resource for the younger guys in the offensive line room, specifically,” Donkoh said before the season. “I have a lot of experience playing in big games, I’ve played every position except center, and I have the wisdom. I want to be a resource for them to help with whatever they need.”

Now, with the sun fully set on an incredibly demoralizing October for Penn State football, Donkoh finds himself in an all-too-familiar place: Fighting for a bowl game with a team that once hoped to make waves in the playoffs.

Yet, once again, Donkoh has continued to lead and continued to work. He’s once again wearing his emotions on his sleeve and proving to Nittany Nation that some people still bleed blue and white in that locker room.

After a heartbreaking loss to Wisconsin — one in which Penn State students were criticized for leaving large portions of Beaver Stadium empty — and a loss to Northwestern, Donkoh expressed gratitude for the Penn State community’s support.

While the quote won’t do it justice, Donkoh’s emotion clearly showed he feeds off the blue and white fans’ energy throughout games and genuinely cares what they think about the team.

“It would mean a lot because it means the fans still care about us, still love us, still give us their support,” Donkoh said about the potential for another elite White Out atmosphere. “I know the defense especially feeds into that, feeds into the crowd pouring into them.”

While the game ended in a loss, the Penn State faithful showed up for Donkoh and the team.

Fast-forward to the Purdue game. As I swayed from the student section, yelling the alma mater, I noticed Donkoh. The offensive lineman yelled along with me and encouraged other players to do the same.

He then went around congratulating everyone on the field, the biggest smile on his face, before ringing the victory bell and showing immense emotion in front of the student section.

Long-awaited victory bell ring for Penn State lineman Anthony Donkoh. pic.twitter.com/FAiosd3NrN

— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) October 31, 2026

While it’s a normal reaction to winning a football game, that normalcy makes it feel so relatable in an era of college sports when everything feels so different.

I say all that to say: we see you, Anthony Donkoh.

Your contributions to the Penn State program have not gone unnoticed. Your unwavering loyalty to a school that means so much to so many will not be forgotten.

In a time that feels like perpetual darkness in college sports and Penn State football, you have been the light. I promise to keep cheering that extra bit louder for you on Saturdays and hope you can continue to lead the Nittany Lions into another era of success.

Thank you, Anthony Donkoh.

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