RB
Senior
Each section identifies whether the numbers cover one season or a career, plus the school and source used.
Season totals / Penn State
Source: Penn State Athletics / Source checked October 7, 2026
Season totals / Iowa State
Source: Penn State Athletics / Source checked October 7, 2026
Hansen ran for 180 yards through Wisconsin. At Northwestern on October 2, he gained 19 yards on four carries, scored on an eight-yard run and caught one pass for nine yards. Peoples and Martin also carried the ball, so the single-game share is not a permanent depth-chart order.
Carson Hansen is a senior running back who transferred from Iowa State to Penn State with Matt Campbell's staff. At Iowa State in 2025, he ran 188 times for 952 yards and six touchdowns and caught 19 passes for 134 yards. Those are previous-school totals.
Hansen started each of Penn State's first four 2026 games. The official player biography lists 39 carries for 180 yards and one rushing touchdown through Wisconsin, plus two receptions for 13 yards. At Northwestern on October 2, he scored Penn State's other touchdown on an eight-yard run. His game usage now establishes a substantial backfield role; it need not be inferred from scheme familiarity alone.
Penn State also used James Peoples, Quinton Martin Jr. and Cam Wallace in the first month. Hansen's starts and carries place him in the main rotation, but the distribution has varied by game. Keeping the Iowa State season and Penn State production separate makes it possible to follow that rotation without treating a previous-school total as this season's result.
Sources checked October 7, 2026