James Peoples didn’t tiptoe around Penn State’s ceiling on Friday.
At the school’s local media day in State College, the former Ohio State running back made it clear he thinks the Nittany Lions are built for a playoff run this season - and he even said he expects to see his old team again.
“I intend to cross paths with those guys,” Peoples said.
When asked if that meant Penn State would be in the playoff picture, he didn’t hesitate. “Yes, sir,” he said.
That kind of confidence stands out because Penn State has mostly avoided big declarations about the season. Associate head coach Terry Smith kept things measured, saying, “We're not guaranteeing victories, but you're you're going to be proud of the performance and the effort of our guys,” but Peoples was willing to go further.
“It's nothing different,” Peoples said. “I have the same [expectations] as the other team over there.
I think there’s no reason this team is not going to make it into the postseason. I have full faith that we are.”
For Peoples, the belief starts with what he sees around him every day: the roster, the staff and the way the group has come together.
“It's the trust that I have in these guys, the talent that we have, the leadership that we have, the camaraderie that we have,” he said.
Peoples arrived at Penn State after two seasons at Ohio State, where the 5-10, 214-pound junior rushed for 541 yards and five touchdowns. When his name hit the transfer portal, Penn State coach Matt Campbell moved quickly, seeing him as a perfect fit alongside Carson Hansen.
“We were really excited when the James Peoples situation came into play,” Campbell said. “... There was a lot of excitement from our end because we thought, 'Could we get a great complement to Carson [Hansen]?'”
Campbell and his staff wanted Peoples to understand exactly what kind of offense he was joining. On his first visit, offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser gave him a tour and laid out the plan, even though Penn State didn’t have a running backs coach at the time. Savon Huggins was hired later.
“I mean, he was at Ohio State, so he's not unfamiliar with Penn State, but I wanted him to know what our offense looked like,” Mouser said. “We're going to run the football here. We've had running backs who have been very successful in this offense, and the standards are really high, regardless of what school we're at.”
Mouser pointed to the backs Campbell developed at Iowa State, including David Montgomery, who rushed for 2,925 yards in three seasons, and Breece Hall, who rushed for 3,933 yards and 50 touchdowns in three years.
“Now you're at a school like Penn State, where they've had a lineage of really good running backs,” Mouser said. “So what I wanted him to know was what we expect the standards to be at that position.
And like I tell our guys in this offense, the running back sets the tone. You’ve got to come here and be a guy that wants to set the tone, and he's done that so far.
He wants to do that.”
Campbell brought Peoples in to be the explosive partner for Hansen, who rushed for a team-high 950 yards with the Cyclones last season. The staff believes Peoples can also add something in the passing game, where his burst gives the offense another layer.
“I wanted those guys to be able to show they can add value in the pass game,” Mouser said of the running backs, “give them the opportunity to go show they can do that, and see who could be an option route runner and a vertical route runner.”
Peoples wants to be that kind of weapon. He caught 10 passes for Ohio State last season and said he wants to bring another gear to Penn State’s offense.
“I’m hoping that I can bring the explosiveness to this offense that I was brought here for,” Peoples said. “That is a huge thing. I’m excited to contribute to the team, contribute to our goals.”
He also connected quickly with Campbell’s approach off the field. This offseason, Campbell asked players to read “Chop Wood Carry Water,” a book Peoples had already read last year at Ohio State, but he didn’t mind revisiting it.
“Our head coach is a guy who’s very detailed,” Peoples said. “When you have that type of detail that coach Campbell has, it’s like he will not miss a step.
He’s going to go every step the right way. There’s no way you can play football that way and not be successful.
Same thing with life. So that’s why I really believe that we’re going to make it that far.”
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Penn States rebuilt 2026 recruiting class has not had much time to settle in under Matt Campbell, but two freshmen are already making the new staff pay attention. After the change at the top and a late reset of the class, the Nittany Lions signed 15 players and landed at 65th nationally, a number that reflected the scramble as much as the ceiling. Even in that context, early spring ball and camp have produced a couple of names that stood out quickly enough to earn real praise from the coaches.
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The challenge now is less about establishing a foundation than proving he can push Penn State over the top in the games that decide a season. Campbells next step will be measured in the tight fourth-quarter moments that separate a good hire from a championship one, and Penn State fans already know that progress in those spots has to come quickly. [Read more 🡒]