Previewing the 2026 season for Penn State K Matthew Parker

Penn State football will have a completely overhauled roster to get to know in 2026 under new head coach Matt Campbell. Following one of the most active offseasons in recent memory for Penn State with a flurry of activity in the transfer portal, fans will have a lot of catching up to do in getting to know this year’s Penn State roster. Fortunately, not every face will be brand new to fans. Regardless, we will be here to give you a fresh overview of every player on the roster for the 2026 season with a series of player profiles.

From all of the returning players, a long list of new faces from the transfer portal, and incoming recruits from the Class of 2026, we will have you covered with this year’s player profiles for the Penn State roster. Here is a quick look at kicker Mathew Parker for the 2026 season.

• Hometown: York, Pennsylvania

• Height: 6-0
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• Weight: 224

• Class in 2026: Redshirt Freshman

Class of 2025: Composite 2-star recruit, No. 24 kicker per 247Sports

Matthew Parker was rated as a two-star recruit coming out of high school (Central York), which is a solid rating for a kicker. Parker did not receive a scholarship offer from Penn State or West Virginia but committed to a walk-on opportunity with the Nittany Lions under former head coach James Franklin. Parker committed to Penn State in May 2024few weeks after an unofficial visit to the Penn State campus.

As a true freshman, Parker appeared in one game for Penn State during the 2025 season. He converted one extra point attempt in the season opener against Nevada before preserving his redshirt season for the remainder of the year.

Matthew Parker will be expected to be a backup kicking option again this season. Penn State’s placekicking duties figure to be in good hands, or feet, with the return of Ryan Barker. Penn State has also added Rosa Cristiano as a kicking option if needed. Cristiano may be the kickoff specialist while Barker focuses on extra points and field goals.

Matthew Parker is cousins with Arthur Moats, who played football for the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Arizona Cardinals.