Penn State All 105: Anthony Donkoh Ascends To Leadership Role In 2026

This is one in a series of stories breaking down each player on Penn State football’s 2026 roster.

Anthony Donkoh has already been thrown into big moments.

Now, Penn State needs him to become one of the steadying pieces of its offensive line.

Donkoh, a redshirt junior from Aldie, Virginia, enters the 2026 season as one of the more experienced linemen on Penn State’s roster. He has played guard, tackle and in those assignments has started in big environments. 

With Penn State working through changes up front, that experience is what first year coaches Matt Campbell and Ryan Clanton will lean into heavily, especially with having to replace starters Vega Ioane, Nick Dawkins, T.J. Shanahan, Drew Shelton, and Nolan Rucci.

Donkoh played in all 13 games during the 2025 season and made 11 starts. 

According to Pro Football Focus, he logged 693 offensive snaps, including 350 as a run blocker and 343 in pass protection. He finished with a 69.3 overall grade, a 65.5 run-blocking grade and a 73.8 pass-blocking grade.

Donkoh allowed just one sack in 2025, along with two quarterback hits and 12 hurries across 330 pass-blocking opportunities. 

It also continued what he started in 2024.

As a redshirt freshman, Donkoh appeared in 11 games and made 10 starts at right tackle. He was named All-Big Ten honorable mention by the coaches and media and was a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award.

His first career start came at West Virginia, where Penn State gained 457 yards, averaged 7.6 yards per play and didn’t allow a sack. Against Bowling Green, Penn State had nine plays of 20 or more yards and two 100-yard rushers, with Nicholas Singleton going for 119 and Kaytron Allen adding 101.

The Kent State game became historic. Penn State set school records with 718 yards of offense and 40 first downs, while throwing for 409 yards, the fifth-highest total in program history.

That was not a one-game flash, either.

Donkoh helped Penn State rush for 239 yards and three touchdowns against Illinois. He was part of an offensive line that helped Tyler Warren set Penn State and Big Ten tight end records with 224 receiving yards at USC. Against Washington, Penn State gained 486 yards and rushed for 266, while not allowing a tackle for loss.

At Purdue, Penn State totaled 539 yards, threw for 305 and ran for 234 without allowing a sack.

That is the resume Donkoh brought into 2025.

Last season, Penn State’s offense had strong moments with Donkoh in the lineup. The Nittany Lions opened with 438 yards against Nevada while not allowing a sack. They followed with 409 yards against FIU and 465 against Villanova, including 237 rushing yards. Against Nebraska, Penn State totaled 412 yards and scored five offensive touchdowns. At Rutgers, the offense hit a season-high 509 yards, including 300 on the ground, while Kaytron Allen ran for 226 yards.

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Donkoh also played in the Pinstripe Bowl against Clemson, where Penn State finished with 397 yards, including 262 passing.

There are still areas to clean up. His 2025 run-blocking grade dipped from 69.7 in 2024 to 65.5, and Penn State’s offensive line as a whole was inconsistent at times. But Donkoh’s value is not just in one number..

It is in the fact that Penn State can put him in a starting lineup and know he has been there before.

Donkoh has also grown into more of a leadership voice. 

In an interview with State Media, he said leadership starts with recognizing teammates’ strengths and weaknesses and helping bring the group together. He also described the offensive line room through one word: brotherhood. To Donkoh, the best part of the room is that players can be themselves and lean on each other.  

The Nittany Lions are not just trying to find five starters. They are trying to build chemistry in front of a new-look offense. Donkoh has enough experience to help that process.

Before Penn State: Donkoh played at Lightridge High School in Virginia for coach Bobby Eavenson. He was a three-year letterman, served as a team captain for three seasons and was named team MVP three times.

He allowed only one sack in three years of varsity football and did not allow a sack as a senior. He was also productive on defense, finishing his senior season with 63 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, 15 quarterback hurries, two pass breakups and three blocked kicks.

Donkoh was rated as a four-star prospect by 247Sports and On3. 247Sports ranked him as the No. 18 interior offensive lineman in the class and the No. 10 prospect in Virginia, while On3 had him as the No. 20 interior offensive lineman and No. 5 player in the state.

He also wrestled at Lightridge.

Off the field, Donkoh has one of the more interesting academic profiles on the team. He is majoring in planetary science and astronomy. When asked what he could give a TED Talk on outside of football, Donkoh said space, mentioning classes on black holes, the Big Bang and the history of space.  

Where he stands: Donkoh should be one of Penn State’s most important offensive linemen in 2026.

The question isn’t whether Donkoh will play, it will be where Campbell and Clanton see where he fits best.

He has played right tackle and guard, and PFF’s 2025 charting shows most of his work came at right guard, with some snaps at right tackle. That versatility gives Penn State options, especially with the offensive line still being reshaped.

But wherever he lines up, Donkoh gives the Nittany Lions something they need.

Penn State’s offensive line has several moving pieces, but Donkoh should be one of the players the staff can build around.