Penn State football adds transfer portal kicker Cristiano Rosa

Penn State football’s kickoff duties will look different in 2026.

A responsibility primarily held by Gabe Nwosu for each of the past two seasons, the Nittany Lions will look elsewhere to fill the job in the first year of Matt Campbell’s tenure with the program. And there appears to be a favorite to win the role.

Cristiano Rosa, a kickoff specialist who spent the past two seasons at James Madison, has transferred to Penn State via the portal. He is not yet listed on the team roster, but he is enrolled at Penn State and BWI has since confirmed his addition to the program.

Rosa, originally from Shelton, Conn., will have one or two seasons of eligibility remaining, according to his social media post announcing his transfer portal entry in December.

Cristiano Rosa background

He began his career as a freshman at Central Connecticut in 2022, where he saw action in one game but retained his redshirt, going 1-for-3 on field goal attempts against UConn. He did not play again there during the 2023 season, transferring to JMU ahead of the Dukes’ 2024 campaign.

While in Harrisonburg, Va., he found a featured role as a kickoff specialist. Beginning in 2024, he played in every game for the Dukes, kicking off 69 times and finishing with 52 touchbacks.

This past season, he built on that debut by continuing in the role through JMU’s run to a Sun Belt title and appearance in the College Football Playoff. Over the course of 90 kickoffs, he recorded 62 touchbacks, highlighted by a season-high nine against Old Dominion in October.

Following the season, Rosa entered the NCAA transfer portal on Jan. 2 when it opened.

What’s next

With his addition, Penn State’s group of specialists for the 2026 season has grown to seven. Four players have been retained on the current roster, led by place kicker Ryan Barker, who made a public affirmation of remaining in the program, along with place kicker Matthew Parker and long snappers Blaise Sokach-Minnick and Andrew Dufault.

Two others have been brought in to address a punting vacancy also left behind by Nwosu. Mississippi State transfer Nathan Tiyce committed to the Nittany Lions on Jan. 11, and the program also added a Class of 2026 punter in Lucas Tenbrock out of St. Charles North.

Penn State 2026 specialists

Retained

Name	Eligibility	Notes
PK Ryan Barker	RS Junior	Staying
PK Matthew Parker	RS Freshman	Undecided
LS Blaise Sokach-Minnick +	RS Senior	Undecided
LS Andrew Dufault +	RS Sophomore	Undecided

Incoming

Name	School	Ht./Wt.	Eligibility	Notes
K Cristiano Rosa	JMU	5-11/206	RS Senior
P Nathan Tiyce	Mississippi State	6-5/230	Sophomore	Committed (1/11)
P Lucas Tenbrock	St. Charles North	6-6/220	Freshman	Story

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