Penn State brought in three transfer tight ends from Iowa State this offseason, including Gabe Burkle who accounted for 54 catches, 607 yards and two touchdowns in his four seasons as a Cyclone.
The trio followed offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Taylor Mouser, who followed head coach Matt Campbell, from Ames to State College. The transition has been helped by the familiarity the group shares.
“Sometimes change is hard, but I’ve honestly had a great time and a blast being out here even though it’s only been two months,” Burkle said. “I’m really excited about it.”
In his redshirt junior season, Burkle hauled in 26 receptions for a career-best 302 yards and a touchdown, but injury sidelined him near the end of the season. His recovery process has gone “super well” with no setbacks, but he won’t be available until fall camp.
Burkle has primarily been an in-line blocking tight end, and his 6-foot-6, 255-pound stature makes him a red-zone threat. But before his injury last season, Burkle worked to develop as a receiver, which he described as his biggest area of growth in 2025.
In the meantime, he’s been acclimating to life at Penn State, finding a daily routine and connecting with returning Nittany Lions like Andrew Rappleyea, who “does everything 100% … Watching him work makes you want to work harder as well,” he said.
“I think everyone in there is super talented,” Burkle said. “I’m very excited to get out on the field and compete with them. I feel like we have a lot of guys that can compete for meaningful minutes.”
Benjamin Brahmer was TE1 last year for the Cyclones, and the younger Cooper Alexander also transferred in this offseason after seeing some playing time at Iowa State last year, creating competition in the room. It’s an interesting blend, but both programs have successfully sent players to the NFL in recent seasons.
“There’s amazing tight ends in the NFL that came from here, so that’s obviously a perk, but I would say it was more important just being able to follow Mouser and learn under him and continue to play for him,” Burkle said.
The former three-star recruit from Iowa has just one season of eligibility remaining, which he’s hoping to capitalize on with the Nittany Lions. Though his time in Happy Valley will be brief, he’s been ingraining himself into the program.
Part of that stems from Campbell’s efforts to bridge the history of the program with the present, bringing back lettermen to speak to the team. Campbell has also shown players highlight videos from former Nittany Lions at their position and taught them the origin of the “we are” slogan.
“I thought that was just a chant, but knowing the meaning behind it and how it came to be is so important, and I feel like it just gives us pride knowing what the chant is,” Burkle said. “It’s a great history and it’s something that we didn’t know, but we should have known. I think it’s important that he continues to bleed the history and the culture of this university and this football program.”
