This is one in a series of stories breaking down each player on Penn State football’s 2026 roster.
Carson Hansen comes to Penn State with something most transfer running backs cannot offer.
He has already carried a Big 12 workload.
Hansen, a senior from Lakeville, Minnesota, transferred to Penn State from Iowa State after three seasons with the Cyclones. He arrives in State College as an experienced, productive and physically built running back who gives Penn State another proven option in a backfield going through major change.
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 216 pounds
Hometown: Lakeville, Minnesota
High School: Lakeville South
Previous School: Iowa State
Before Penn State
High School: Hansen played at Lakeville South High School in Minnesota.
He helped Lakeville South to a 2022 Class 6A semifinal appearance and back-to-back state championships in 2020 and 2021. Hansen was named Minnesota Associated Press Player of the Year and was selected to the Minnesota Vikings All-State team.
He also earned 2022 Star Tribune Metro Player of the Year and First Team All-State honors.
As a senior, Hansen rushed for 1,727 yards and 21 touchdowns. He also averaged 8.6 yards per carry, scored 25 total touchdowns and added seven receiving touchdowns.
He was rated as the No. 6 player in Minnesota and a three-star running back by 247Sports Composite.
Iowa State
2023: Hansen’s first season at Iowa State was more of an introduction than a breakout.
He played in nine games and carried the ball sparingly, but he still found ways to contribute. He rushed once for one yard against Ohio, added 10 rushing yards against Oklahoma State and had five carries for 25 yards against Cincinnati.
His most productive freshman game came against Kansas State, when he ran 11 times for 35 yards and caught one pass for 35 yards.
It was not a feature role, but it gave Hansen early experience in a Power Four offense.
2024: Hansen’s role grew in 2024.
He appeared in 12 games and became a more consistent part of Iowa State’s rotation. He rushed for 284 yards and 11 touchdowns, showing a clear short-yardage and red-zone skill set.
He scored twice against Arkansas State, had a career-best three rushing touchdowns against West Virginia and added two rushing scores against UCF. Hansen also scored against Iowa, Houston and Kansas State.
That season showed what made Hansen valuable.
He wasn’t just a change-of-pace back. He was a physical runner who could finish drives, absorb contact and produce near the goal line. Iowa State trusted him in scoring situations, and Hansen rewarded that trust.
He also earned Academic All-Big 12 honors, adding to a résumé that included Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team recognition in 2023.
2025: The true breakout came last year.
Hansen played in 11 games, made six starts and rushed for 952 yards on 188 carries with six touchdowns. He averaged 5.06 yards per carry and became one of Iowa State’s most reliable offensive players.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.He also added 19 catches for 134 yards, proving he could stay involved in the passing game.
The most impressive part of Hansen’s season was how he finished.
He ended 2025 with five consecutive 100-yard rushing games, the most by an Iowa State player since Breece Hall had eight straight in 2020. Hansen had seven career games with two-plus rushing touchdowns, which ranked sixth-most at Iowa State since 1995.
His season included 114 rushing yards against Arkansas State, 122 yards and a touchdown against TCU, 151 yards and two touchdowns against Kansas and 153 yards with two touchdowns against Oklahoma State.
That late-season run is what makes Hansen interesting for Penn State.
He didn’t just flash in a limited role. He carried a heavy workload, produced against conference opponents and finished the season playing the best football of his career.
Pro Football Focus’ numbers showed a player who was especially strong as a runner.
In 2025, Hansen played 448 offensive snaps at Iowa State. He earned a 77.9 overall offensive grade and an 81.5 rushing grade. His pass blocking and receiving grades were less impressive, but his rushing production and consistency stood out.
Over three seasons at Iowa State, PFF credited Hansen with 1,051 offensive snaps.
Penn State isn’t adding a projection. It is adding a back who has played meaningful snaps, handled contact, protected the football and produced in a major conference.
Where he stands: Hansen enters Penn State at a fascinating time.
The Nittany Lions are transitioning into a new era under Matt Campbell, who knows Hansen well from Iowa State. That familiarity should help Hansen’s adjustment, especially in terms of scheme, terminology and expectations.
Penn State still has young talent in the running back room, but Hansen brings size, experience and a downhill running style that can translate quickly.
He’s not likely to be viewed as just a depth piece.
Hansen has the frame to handle between-the-tackles work, the production to command touches and the background to understand what Campbell wants from the position. His late-season surge at Iowa State suggests he is entering Penn State with momentum, not just experience.
The question is how large his role becomes?
If Hansen improves as a pass protector and receiver, he could become a complete rotational back. If Penn State wants a physical runner who can close games, handle short-yardage situations and keep the offense on schedule, Hansen fits that profile immediately.
Penn State has had star power at running back in recent years with Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen.
Hansen gives the Nittany Lions something different: an older, proven, Big 12-tested back with a direct connection to the new staff.
That makes him one of the more intriguing transfer additions on the roster.
