TE
Redshirt Senior
Iowa State transfer tight end with size and system familiarity. Burkle gives Penn State another 12-personnel option, but he should be described as a competition piece until usage is public.
Gabe Burkle is part of the Iowa State-to-Penn State tight end pipeline that followed Matt Campbell to State College. Penn State lists him as a redshirt senior at 6-foot-6 and 247 pounds, giving the offense another large body in a room that also includes Benjamin Brahmer and Cooper Alexander.
Burkle's profile should be framed around role utility rather than target volume. Tight ends in Campbell-influenced offenses can matter as blockers, formation movers, red-zone bodies, and play-action constraints even before they become high-volume receivers.
For the 2026 depth chart, Burkle gives Penn State more flexibility to use heavier personnel. His exact snap share depends on blocking trust, special-teams value, and how the staff separates him from Brahmer, Alexander, Andrew Rappleyea, and other tight ends in camp.
The best way to judge Burkle is through role evidence: goal-line packages, second tight end usage, special teams, and whether he becomes a reliable blocking answer next to the offensive tackles.