Penn State will need some reinforcements out of the transfer portal, and if the team is going to beef up the running back position, Carson Hansen wouldn’t be a bad choice.
The elephant in the room here is that Hansen played at Iowa State, where, up until just a few weeks ago, new Penn State boss Matt Campbell had been the head coach.
But the more important thing is that Hansen can play.
In 2024, Hansen helped Iowa State to the Big 12 championship game, rushing for 752 yards, averaging five yards per carry and scoring 13 touchdowns.
This season, Hansen remained productive, going for 952 yards and six touchdowns, again averaging more than five yards a pop.
Hansen was the type of player that defined Campbell’s success in Ames— a low-ranked recruit who turned into a key contributor.
Coming from Lakeville, Minnesota, Hansen was the 956th-ranked player in the Class of 2023.
Now, he’s one of the top running backs in the transfer portal.
Penn State has some talented young backs that could be in the fold for 2026. But should that stop Campbell from bringing Hansen along?
BLUE COLLAR
Penn State fans are used to quality running backs, and Pennsylvania people in general love hard work.
Hansen checks both boxes.
“I mean, one of the toughest young men in our program,” Campbell said in November, “how he runs the football, how he runs the football late in games, how he came back into the game today to run the football. Every run I feel like he has is a major car wreck at the end, right? Like, it’s just he’s got that physical ability to fall forward every time he runs the football. And when that happens, that’s usually not just a simple tackle by the shoestrings; it’s violent. And I think he plays with that violence and that consistency all the time. That’s hard to do, especially a tailback. But we’re really proud of him.”
Physicality is something that Hansen prides himself on.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“I would say in my offense in high school, we kind of prided ourselves on blocking because we were in the Power-T,” he told 247Sports. “So a lot of the time we were trying to be as physical as we can as backs, and I think that kind of translated over to my college career. And I think that was really cool to see in the work I’ve put in, just to be able to see that, so it was really cool.”
IN-HOUSE OPTIONS
A drawback to going after Hansen— or any external back— is that Penn State’s current backs have promise. Quinton Martin showed what he could do in the Pinstripe Bowl, going for more than 100 yards. Fellow Pittsburgh guy Tikey Hayes also flexed his muscles, converting a 3rd and 4 that led to Penn State’s game-sealing touchdown. Corey Smith and Cam Wallace have also shown flashes over the last two seasons.
As of Saturday, Martin hadn’t met 1 on 1 with Campbell yet, but Martin was impressed by him.
“He’s a great guy,” Martin said. “We had a team meeting. I got the opportunity to listen to him speak, and I really like him. I like what he’s about. I like his culture, and I’m looking forward to speaking with him.”
As for Martin’s decision? It hasn’t been made yet.
The transfer portal officially opens Jan. 2 and runs through Jan. 16.
“I’m going to talk to my family, just weigh my options, and just see where the Lord takes me,” Martin said.
So should Penn State go after Hansen, or a veteran like him?
On the one hand, Hansen is established, and none of Penn State’s in-house options have had the opportunity to have multiple big games in a row by virtue of playing behind stars Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton.
On the other hand, Martin, Smith and Wallace have all shown flashes of brilliance, and bringing in somebody from the outside would presumably heighten the chances of one or more of them departing, which could come back to bite Penn State if they flourish elsewhere.
Whether Penn State decides to stay in-house or go to the transfer portal to succeed Allen and Singleton, quality running back play will be expected in 2026.
