This is one in a series of stories breaking down each player on Penn State football’s 2026 roster.
Owen Aliciene had a decision to make.
After Penn State went through a coaching change, the young offensive lineman could have looked around. In modern college football, plenty of players leave. But Aliciene stayed.
For him, the decision came down to fit, opportunity and belief in where the program is going.
“All the factors kind of aligned for me to stay,” Aliciene said.
Aliciene, a redshirt freshman from Cheshire, Connecticut, enters 2026 as one of Penn State’s developmental offensive line pieces. He’s listed at 6-foot-7, 303 pounds, giving the PSU another long, athletic body to work with up front.
He redshirted during the 2025 season but did appear in one game, getting his first taste of college football. According to Pro Football Focus, Aliciene played 22 offensive snaps, all at left tackle, in Penn State’s season opener against Nevada. He finished with a 75.2 overall grade and an 81.1 run-blocking grade in that limited action.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.It was a small sample, but a useful one.
Aliciene showed enough to remain an interesting name in a room that has several moving parts entering 2026. Penn State has veterans and transfers competing for starting jobs, but young linemen such as Aliciene are important to the future of the position.
Before Penn State: Aliciene played at Avon Old Farms High School for coach Jon Wholley. He was a three-year letterman and team captain as a senior. He earned first-team All-Founders League honors as a senior and second-team honors as a junior, while also being selected first-team All-New England.
He was rated as a four-star prospect by 247Sports and On3, and a three-star prospect by ESPN and Rivals. On3 ranked him as the No. 235 overall prospect, No. 20 offensive tackle and No. 2 player in Connecticut.
Where he stands: Aliciene’s size, tackle frame and belief in Matt Campbell’s new staff give Penn State a young lineman worth watching.
While many think the left tackle spot is Malachi Goodman’s, Campbell’s comments on The Goon and Ironhead Show said that left tackle will be a “camp battle to watch.” While many feel Goodman will win it, Aliciene will make a push for the job.
If anything it is a luxury for Campbell and offensive line coach Ryan Clanton to have depth at a premium position.
