Penn State coach Matt Campbell updated the status of a trio of players who missed Saturday’s game against Temple with injuries.
Campbell said he expects defensive tackles Armstrong Nnodim and Alijah Carnell to play against Buffalo, and said linebacker Cam Smith is questionable.
Nnodim, who redshirted his freshman season in 2024, ended 2025 with 11 tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss.
Nnodim came to Stillwater as a three-star prospect from Texas’ Mesquite Horn High School.
Oklahoma State coach Doug Meacham described Nnodim’s presence earlier this season.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“I want him to go be a leader of a business or a corporation, but you just look at him, you’d say he’ll be a lifetime bouncer at the doorway of a bar,” Meacham said. “He’s a scary dude now. He comes in there, he’s yoked up. I wouldn’t want any piece of that guy.”
Carnell played in 11 games for Iowa State last season, ending the year with six tackles and a half sack.
Before that, he was at Utah, and Campbell talked last summer, while still at Iowa State, about what he brings to the table.
“Alijah Carnell is a guy that can bump inside and out, played at Utah last year, played down the stretch, (there) are flashes of some elite football in his career coming forward,” Campbell said. “I think you’ll see that of Alijah. He can play both inside and out, so I think he’s another guy that gives you flexibility. Alijah’s almost 305 (pounds) and a guy that can go inside and outside and do some things with his length and size. We’re excited and I think there’s multiplicity there.”
