Penn State got more bad injury news late Wednesday morning.
After coach Matt Campbell announced that star receiver Koby Howard would be “out for an extended period of time,” he announced that offensive lineman Will Tompkins was done for the season.
Tompkins played in 31 snaps over Penn State’s first three games, playing 28 in the season opener against Marshall.
He came to Penn State in January after spending his true freshman season at Iowa State, where coach Matt Campbell was before taking the Penn State job.
A native of Cedar Falls, Iowa, Tompkins was a highly regarded high school prospect. He earned three-star ratings from both 247Sports and On3, while Rivals viewed him even more favorably. Rivals graded Tompkins as a four-star recruit and ranked him No. 245 overall in the Rivals 300, making him one of the more underrated linemen in his class.
At 6-foot-6 with the frame to add strength, Tompkins fits the profile of a prototypical Big Ten offensive tackle. While he remains a projection at the college level, Penn State’s staff clearly values his upside, physical tools, and familiarity with Campbell’s program and expectations.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.The addition reinforced Campbell’s emphasis on building depth and continuity up front, while continuing to leverage relationships formed during his time at Iowa State to strengthen Penn State’s roster for the future.
During fall camp, offensive line coach Ryan Clanton told Lions247 that Tompkins was “trusted.”
“If I told Will today at practice, you’re taking every rep, he would be like, ‘Yes sir. No problem.’ That’s kind of what makes him special,” Clanton said. “Whereas some guys would be like, “I can’t wait’, but in the back of their head be like, ‘this guy is nuts’. Or they’re just like, ‘No way. I can’t do that.’ He’ll take that on. He’ll go until he drops.”
Tompkins redshirted his freshman season, and with “5-in-5” eliminating medical redshirts, it’s expected that Tompkins will have four years of eligibility left after the season.
