Penn State's 2026 season will feature a completely overhauled roster following an offseason of significant transition. A coaching change led to a flurry of activity in the transfer portal, which led to a number of new faces on the program. We have taken some time to profile each player on the roster this season, but now it is time to dig a little deeper on the 25 players who will play the largest roles on the roster.
In a year with so much roster turnover with help from the transfer portal, there will be some notable players returning to Penn State's roster in 2026. One of the key players returning is nickelback Zion Tracy, who will serve as one of the defensive leaders for the Nittany Lions this fall.
2025 in review
Zion Tracy had a bit of a breakout season as he saw his role increase in the Penn State defense in 2025. Tracy started nine of 11 games played for the Nittany Lions, and he ended the year with 32 total tackles. That includes 5 tackles for loss, which was good for fourth on the roster. For a season with so many letdown moments, Tracy was one of the more reliable positive assets for the defense overall. He also recorded one sack and forced a fumble. He ended the season with five tackles in the Pinstripe Bowl victory over Clemson, tying his personal career high for a single game.
Biggest question for 2026
Perhaps the biggest question for Zion Tracy is whether or not he is equipped to be the top cornerback on the defense. The answer is probably leaning toward the affirmative, but it is a big test for him this season after some key teammates have departed the program to pursue opportunities at new schools this season. Those departures were replaced with some transfers, of course, but Tracy will be looked to as the mainstay for the defensive backfield this fall. Doing so with a new defensive coordinator and defensive scheme can be challenging even for a talented vet like Tracy.
2026 will be a success if...
If Penn State is going to have a playoff push this season, it will be in part because Zion Tracy is delivering big hits and coming up with key takeaways. Tracy will be successful if he is used correctly on blitz packages off the edges to create havoc in the backfield by taking down a quarterback or helping to blow up a screen pass situation. Tracy will be successful if he also helps create turnovers, either by taking the ball away through the air or knocking the ball loose for a teammate to pounce.
2026 will be a disappointment if...
For all of the hype surrounding Tracy this season, it would be a complete letdown if those special moments never seem to happen. Tracy not having any significant impact on the defense would be shocking. A season without forcing a turnover would be almost catastrophic. But that is the far end of the spectrum nobody anticipates seeing this fall. Still, it would be a bit disappointing if Tracy did not improve on his stats from last season with 1.0 sack and 1 forced fumble with zero interceptions.
Realistic outlook for 2026
Expectations are high for Zion Tracy in 2026. Head coach Matt Campbell has even suggested Tracy may be one of the most talented players he has had the opportunity to coach. Tracy will be expected to come up with some big plays on defense, and he will routinely find ways to deliver those moments. Tracy did not come up with any interceptions last season, so it would be nice to see that change in 2026 (he did have 2 picks in 2024). Tracy will rack up a few tackles for loss again this season in certain situations after being fourth on the team in TFL last fall.
Fans can expect to hear plenty about Tracy this fall.
Penn State Top 25 Players in 2026
Kevin McGuire is the lead writer for Nittany Lions Wire, part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on BlueSky, Threads or any of these other platforms.
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Penn State Top 25 players for 2026: Zion Tracy