Matt Campbell’s pitch to recruits was supposed to sell a new era in State College. Instead, it handed Ohio State fans a fresh punchline.
Campbell, in his first year at Penn State, is trying to build something new by changing the culture and restocking the roster. That kind of reset lives and dies on recruiting, so the message has to land. This one didn’t.
While talking up State College, Campbell took a shot at Columbus and ended up undercutting himself in the process.
"This is College Football Town, USA. We are not living in Austin, Texas, or Columbus, Ohio, where you’re just part of it. We are it."
The problem is obvious: in trying to make State College sound special, he basically framed it as a place with little else going on. That’s a risky move when the city you’re taking a swing at is Columbus, where football is only part of the picture - but a massive part, to be sure. Ohio State still commands a pro-sports level of attention there, with the Blue Jackets as the only Big 4 team in town.
Campbell, who is from Ohio, knows exactly what Ohio State means. That’s what makes the jab even more curious.
It also doesn’t help that Penn State’s recruiting class currently sits eighth in the Big Ten, right in the middle of the pack. That’s not where Campbell wants to be if he’s trying to push a rebuild forward.
Ohio State, meanwhile, keeps doing what it always does on the recruiting trail. The Buckeyes have a top-10 class almost every year, and 2027 is no different with the seventh-best class in the country. For 2028, they’re already sitting at No. 1 with three five-star commitments in place.
That number figures to keep climbing as Ohio State hosts more recruits during the season. The Buckeyes also continue to handle the transfer portal well, while NIL remains another piece of the puzzle they keep trying to navigate as the rules and landscape keep shifting.
Penn State’s schedule only makes the situation tougher. It doesn’t even have to deal with Ohio State this season, but Campbell has already opened Big Ten play at 0-3. It’s been a rough start, which explains why he’s pressing hard to land elite high school talent.
If he wants the recruiting message to stick, though, taking aim at Ohio State may not be the best route. He might be better off selling Penn State against programs like Purdue or Michigan instead.
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Ohio State Gets Pulled Into A High-Stakes Fight Over Eligibility
The eligibility fight that has pulled Ohio State and the rest of the states Division I programs into the middle of a much bigger legal clash is no longer just about football or basketball rosters. The NCAA has sued Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine over his executive order that lets state universities challenge the organizations ruling on fifth-year athletes, turning a routine-sounding eligibility dispute into a test of how far a state can go in carving out its own path.
At the heart of the lawsuit is the NCAAs argument that the order violates the Commerce Clause and the First Amendment by giving Ohio schools an unfair edge and letting them sidestep national rules. Ohios Division I programs are said to support the move, and coaches have already made clear they will handle roster choices with team interests in mind, which leaves Ohio State waiting on a legal process that could reshape how fifth-year eligibility is handled across the state. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Faces Two Pressing Questions In Huge Indiana Test
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Indiana can make life difficult by getting after the quarterback and forcing Ohio State to operate under stress, while the Buckeyes also need to make sure they can do the same in return against Josh Hoover. With last seasons Big Ten title game loss still part of the backdrop, this is the kind of test that can reveal whether Ohio State is ready to handle a physical road environment and finish drives when the game tightens up. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Still Has Three Problems Indiana Could Expose
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There is also the bigger concern up front, where Ohio State has not produced the kind of pass rush its standards usually demand and sits 101st nationally in sacks. Close games tend to magnify every mistake, and the kicking game has become part of that conversation after Connor Hawkins missed field goals against ranked opponents, leaving the Buckeyes with one more area that could be tested when Indiana arrives. [Read more 🡒]