Big Ten · Pennsylvania · 2026 roster

Penn State Nittany Lions football roster hometowns

Where are Penn State players from?

On the 2026 Penn State football roster, 25.0% of players with a known home state are from Pennsylvania. The median listed hometown is 251 mi from campus (Homecoming Radius).

The 2026 snapshot was collected before the season. Sources and definitions

Players from Pennsylvania with no earlier college roster elsewhere in the data filled 38% of roster spots in 2016 and 24% on the 2026 roster.

In 2016, 43 of 112 roster spots were filled by Pennsylvania players not previously rostered elsewhere in the data. On the 2026 roster, 27 of 112 fit the same definition. The number of players previously rostered elsewhere changed from 0 to 38.

The median hometown distance moved from 154 mi in 2016 to 251 mi on the 2026 roster.

Before and during the portal era

2016–18 compared with 2021–25

2016–182021–2538.5%34.0%0.0%7.2%
  • In-state, not rostered elsewhere
  • Previously rostered elsewhere
Measure2016–182021–25
In-state, not rostered elsewhere38.5%34.0%
Previously rostered elsewhere0.0%7.2%

The 2026 roster

  • 562 miAverage hometown distanceAverage hometown distance among 109 located players.
  • 25.0%In-state25.0% of players with a known home state are from Pennsylvania.
  • 9.2%Backyard9.2% of players with a located hometown grew up within 100 miles of campus.
  • 33.9%Previously rostered elsewhere33.9% of the roster appeared on another college roster in an earlier season.

Where Penn State ranks

Most In-State#8325.0%Most Transfers#2533.9%Closest to Home#95562 miFarthest From Home#44562 miBiggest In-State Shift#5025.0%Most Backyard Players#1189.2%Fewest Transfers#11433.9%Biggest Transfer Shift#1733.9%

Homecoming Radius over time

The median hometown-to-campus distance, by season. The dotted line is the FBS median.

050100150200250FBS median (250 mi)200920122016201920232026

Roster composition over time

Where the in-state lens draws the line: home-state players with and without an earlier college roster, out-of-state players with and without one, and players with unknown geography. This chart begins where stable athlete IDs make transfer detection possible; the radius chart above carries the official-archive geography farther back.

In-state, not rostered elsewhereOut-of-state, not rostered elsewhereOut-of-state, rostered elsewhere200920122016201920232026

Where do Penn State's players come from?

SeasonRosterIn-stateRostered elsewhereRadius
202611225.0%33.9%251 mi
202512737.3%11.8%154 mi
202412539.5%8.0%154 mi
202312538.5%7.2%154 mi
202212236.0%2.5%156 mi
202111029.6%6.4%163 mi
202012336.9%0.8%155 mi
201912242.1%1.6%158 mi
201811538.3%0.0%154 mi
201710838.9%0.0%154 mi
201611238.7%0.0%154 mi
201512638.9%0.0%153 mi
201413143.5%0.0%150 mi
201311547.0%0.0%142 mi
201211748.3%0.0%133 mi
201111844.4%0.0%143 mi
201012047.9%0.0%141 mi
200912044.1%0.0%145 mi

In-state shares use players with a known home state. Radius uses located hometowns.

Where the roster grew up

Located hometowns on the 2026 roster, with campus marked and the Homecoming Radius circled.

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Homecoming Radius: 251 mi

This slider is exploratory. Rankings use fixed distance lenses.

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