The Penn State football team released its latest roster ahead of spring football, with updated weights after the team’s winter lifting and conditioning over the last six weeks. We’ll share the most significant weight changes on offense and defense below.
Biggest weight gains from the last update
Penn State football’s strength and development staff did their usual work on several critical young players this offseason, packing needed weight on freshmen who arrived early in the process. You can check out the table below, which lays out all of the Penn State players who gained ten or more pounds during the latest roster update.
| Aidan Probst | 230 | 264 | +34 |
| Joseph Mupoyi | 261 | 285 | +24 |
| Caleb Brewer | 288 | 312 | +24 |
| Owen Aliciene | 255 | 275 | +20 |
| Matthew Parker | 200 | 220 | +20 |
| Max Granville | 229 | 247 | +18 |
| Lyrick Samuel | 170 | 187 | +17 |
| Braz Thomas | 185 | 201 | +16 |
| Alex Tatsch | 215 | 230 | +15 |
| Randy Adirika | 285 | 298 | +13 |
| Koby Howard | 185 | 197 | +12 |
| LaVar Arrington II | 200 | 212 | +12 |
| Jaxon Smolik | 201 | 213 | +12 |
| Liam Andrews | 275 | 286 | +11 |
| Matt Outten | 205 | 215 | +10 |
| Michael Troutman III | 285 | 295 | +10 |
| Eagan Boyer | 280 | 290 | +10 |
| Andrew Olesh | 210 | 220 | +10 |
Notably, Penn State tackle project Eagan Boyer has put the work in, creeping closer and closer to the 300-pound threshold that most football fans associate with a playable weight at offensive tackle. However, at 290, Boyer will still likely look skinny at 6-8.
Of course, the main attraction for most fans is at wide receiver. While Devonte Ross’ weight transformation was captured in the last roster update, the Penn State freshman class shined with Koby Howard, Lyrick Samuel and Matt Outten all adding at least ten pounds this offseason. For Samuel, his 17 pounds were needed on his 6-3 frame but like Boyer, he’ll still likely look lean at 187. Still, that’s great progress and shows that the young players applied themselves to the process since arriving on campus in December.
Andrew Olesh: The kid’s added 17 pounds since he’s been on campus
Weight drops from previous Penn State roster update
On the flips side, fewer Penn State players dropped a significant amount of weight, which is to be expected. Here’s the list of all players who dropped at least five pounds since the February update, which included transfers.
| Jim Fitzgerald | 317 | 291 | -26 |
| Alonzo Ford Jr. | 319 | 302 | -17 |
| Kaleb Artis | 325 | 311 | -14 |
| Olaivavega Ioane | 348 | 334 | -14 |
| Jon Mitchell | 195 | 183 | -12 |
| Corey Smith | 189 | 177 | -12 |
| A.J. Harris | 193 | 184 | -9 |
| Tony Rojas | 236 | 227 | -9 |
| Khalil Dinkins | 252 | 243 | -9 |
| JB Nelson | 326 | 317 | -9 |
| Jordan Mayer | 242 | 233 | -9 |
| Jack Lambert | 208 | 200 | -8 |
| Cooper Cousins | 316 | 308 | -8 |
| TJ Shanahan Jr. | 329 | 321 | -8 |
| Chimdy Onoh | 320 | 313 | -7 |
| Kaden Saunders | 182 | 176 | -6 |
| Nicholas Singleton | 226 | 220 | -6 |
| Tyseer Denmark | 187 | 182 | -5 |
| Tikey Hayes | 210 | 205 | -5 |
| Andrew Rappleyea | 250 | 245 | -5 |
Several Penn State players stand out, including offensive lineman Vega Ioane who dropped from 348 pounds down to 334. For most offensive linemen, a 14-pound weight shift would be notable, but for Ioane, he’s still one of the largest players on the roster at that weight. Linebacker Tony Rojas and tight end Khalil Dinkins both dropped weight this offseason. While Rojas’s size difference may be partially due to injury, Dinkins checking in at 243 pounds is notable, given his lack of overwhelming size at tight end. Still, there’s plenty of time for both players to get back to a playing weight by the fall.
For transfer TJ Shanahan, the decision to drop nearly ten pounds was part of the plan, according to Losey during his meeting with reporters at the beginning of March,
“Shanahan [is a] body composition guy. That’s what we identified early with him. He lives in those low-mid 300’s, but we got to kinda do a composition reformation on him; muscle mass, drop the fat.”
Watch: Chuck Losey updates Penn State progress before Spring Break
Getting down to 321 pounds may not be the end of his journey, but it’s clearly a step in the direction that Losey and his staff were looking for.
However, the most shocking transformation on this list is running back Corey Smith. While fans and media were expecting him to take a big step forward in the weight room this offseason, the weight numbers right now don’t say anything positive. He’s dropped 12 pounds and is now 177 pounds, down from an already light 189.
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