When head coach Matt Campbell took over the Penn State Nittany Lions, their roster was in a delicate spot. It was already National Signing Day, and with only one Transfer Portal window rapidly approaching and former coaches poaching players, Campbell needed to hit the ground running.
Luckily, Penn State has plenty of NIL resources, which Campbell was able to dip into. However, he didn’t do so recklessly, which caught the attention of an anonymous rival coach who spoke to Athlon.
“I don’t necessarily know that they’re gonna be immediately good in Year 1, but I thought the three big guys who followed (former defensive coordinator) Jim Knowles to Tennessee went for way more money than I would’ve paid them if I were Penn State,” the coach said. “I thought they made a couple of really good adds. I also thought they kept a couple of really good players that could’ve left, like (linebacker) Tony Rojas. That’s a really good player that probably could’ve gone anywhere for a lot more money than what he got at Penn State.”
The coach is referencing senior linebacker Amare Campbell, redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Xavier Gilliam, and sophomore edge rusher Chaz Coleman. They’re all talented players, but cost more than this rival coach thinks Penn State should have paid. Instead, that money was able to go to players Matt Campbell and new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn wanted for the future of Penn State.
That isn’t to say that the Nittany Lions weren’t active in the Transfer Portal. They were. Campbell and the Penn State would bring in 38 new players.
Matt Campbell Emphasized Size on the Penn State Nittany Lions’ Defensive Line
GettyMatt Campbell addressing an Iowa State crowd
There has been a major philosophy change from James Franklin to Matt Campbell when it comes to assembling a defensive line. Campbell wants Penn State to put more emphasis on size than it has in recent seasons.
“We totally reshaped the D-line. I think my vision, our vision, [is to be] bigger and physical,” Campbell said on Signing Day. “This is the Big Ten, you’ve got to stop the run. We’ve got to be big and physical in there. I feel like, especially on the interior portion of the defensive line, I think we totally reshaped things.”
That focus could be clearly seen in how Campbell and Penn State shaped themselves in the Transfer Portal. The Nittany Lions brought in six new defensive linemen there. Within that group are Siale Taupaki, Dallas Vakalahi, Armstrong Nnodim, and Keanu Williams, who are all over 300 lbs. It’s going to be a completely new look along the defensive line.
Penn State Needs to Recruit Better in Pennsylvania
GettyMatt Campbell with Iowa State
If Penn State wants to win a national championship, the Nittany Lions are going to need to be at the top of the Big Ten in recruiting. That starts with recruiting well in Pennsylvania, which the Nittany Lions were recently criticized for.
“Penn State can recruit New Jersey. It can recruit Maryland. It can stretch into the Midwest, the South and the West. It can take developmental fits from all over the country and still build a strong class,” Kyle Golik wrote of the phenomenon. “But Penn State cannot become ordinary in Pennsylvania. That is the difference. The concern is not that Campbell has failed as a recruiter. The concern is that the state’s top names are not automatically trending toward Happy Valley. In a loaded Pennsylvania cycle, that matters.”
According to Rivals, Penn State has the 18th-ranked recruiting class in the 2027 cycle, which includes 21 committed recruits, six of whom are four-star recruits. Within the state of Pennsylvania, Penn State has just four commits out of the Top 25 recruits. Several others are still considering the Nittany Lions, and flips do happen, but Campbell needs to find a way to land those recruits.
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