To paraphrase Johnny Cash, new Penn State receiver Chase Sowell has “been everywhere, man.”
Sowell started his career at Colorado in 2022, right before the Coach Prime era.
He spent the next two seasons at East Carolina, where he totaled 1,300 yards, and then, he made his way to Matt Campbell.
Sowell was one of Iowa State’s best receivers in 2025, ending the year second on the team in receiving yards, finishing 26 behind another new Nittany Lion in Brett Eskildsen.
It was not a surprise after Campbell took the job at Penn State that Sowell was one of the Cyclones that joined him, and the redshirt senior is the first profile of All 105, a Nittany Sports Now series breaking down each Penn State player.
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 205 pounds
Hometown: Humble, Texas
High School Career: Sowell has a monster senior year at Atascocita High School, going off for 1,380 yards and 16 touchdowns. A three-star recruit, Sowell initially signed with Colorado.
Colorado (2022): Sowell redshirted his lone season in Boulder, catching two passes for 23 yards in the season opener against TCU. Sowell entered the transfer portal and landed at East Carolina.
East Carolina (2023-2024): Sowell got his first extended look in 2023 at ECU, ending that season with 622 yards and a touchdown on 47 catches.
The next season, he finished with 678 yards and three touchdowns on 34 catches.
After 2024, Sowell entered the transfer portal, where he landed at Iowa State.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Iowa State (2025): When Sowell got to Iowa State, it didn’t take long for him to impress the coaching staff.
“He’s played fast,” Iowa State receivers coach Noah Pauley, who briefly had the same position at Penn State, said late last July, “he’s lined up fast. He’s physical, so I’m really excited about him and his production and what he’s had so far early in camp.”
It took Sowell a little while to get going, with an injury suffered during fall camp limiting him for Iowa State’s first two games.
Then, boom.
Against Arizona Sept. 27, Sowell exploded for 146 yards on four catches, helping Iowa State to a 39-14 win.
“His ability to go from zero to 100 fast is super impressive,” Campbell said after the game. “So, again, I’m excited for him because I’ve watched him put the time, the effort, the energy to have those moments come his way.”
Sowell ended the season with 500 yards and two touchdowns on 32 receptions.
Where he Stands at Penn State: Sowell was limited in spring camp due to an undisclosed injury suffered during the 2025 season.
He’s expected to be ready for fall camp, and when that happens, he’s expected to start, and has just as good a chance of anybody to be the team’s No. 1 wideout in 2026.
Of Penn State’s receivers, only Eskildsen (526) had more yards than Sowell did in 2025.
A quote by Sowell: “Being out, it’s allowed me to kind of sit from the outside, look at plays more, and look at more details in the plays. I started looking at protections and all those type of things, just trying to learn everything: Fronts, blitzes, all those type of things. So I think it just elevated my IQ and elevated my knowledge of myself and about the game.” — Sowell to reporters in February
