When Charles Davis looks at Penn State’s football situation, he sees a program that caught a rare break.
The new CBS Sports lead college football analyst - and former Tennessee defensive back - said the Nittany Lions were fortunate to land Matt Campbell after a stretch that left the job open late in the year. Davis, who is replacing Gary Danielson after the 2025 season and will work Big Ten games with Brad Nessler, said the timing made Campbell’s availability unusual.
“An odd time frame, an odd time of year, this kind of thing happens, you don’t get Matt Campbell,” Davis said, pointing to Penn State’s early-December hire after a long search.
“No school goes through that time frame and the music stops and Matt Campbell’s at your door.
“That doesn’t happen. You get almost an interim-type guy, you almost get a ‘bridge’ coach, you get a, ‘boy we hope this is going to work out’.
Instead, Penn State got a proven name. Campbell spent 10 seasons building Iowa State and won Big 12 Coach of the Year three times. Davis said the fit drew strong approval.
“You got one where the acclaim was darn near unanimous ‘fantastic’,” Davis said of the pairing.
“I think he’s a master evaluator and developer with he and his staff, and that’s what you’re getting out of him.”
“If he’s doing that at Iowa State, I think the resources are better in State College.”
Davis also thinks Penn State is stepping into the right kind of Big Ten environment. In his view, the league’s depth makes every week a grind, not just the marquee matchups.
“It’s a monster,” Davis said of the Big Ten.
“I’m really getting a kick out of everyone talking about, ‘well, it’s a top-heavy conference and the rest of it doesn’t match up too much’.
“And I say, what? What do you mean the rest of the (league) doesn’t match up? You tell me who the middle teams are, and you tell me that you’re excited about going to play them.
“Right now (it’s) the No. 1 conference in the country.”
That matters because Penn State’s 2026 schedule gives Campbell and a roster heavy on turnover - 45 transfers are part of the mix - a real chance to stack wins. The Lions avoid Ohio State, Michigan and Indiana in the regular season, and their biggest Big Ten tests are USC at home and trips to Michigan and Washington. Their September nonconference slate includes Marshall, Temple and Buffalo, games Davis expects Penn State to be heavily favored in.
“I think it’s a huge year (for Penn State),” Davis said.
“If you’re not playing those perceived top teams in the conference, you have to take advantage of it while you have an opportunity.
“They have players to do that.”
Two of those players are already on Davis’ radar. He likes veteran transfer quarterback Rocco Becht, who made 39 career starts at Iowa State, and he’s especially interested in running back Carson Hansen and offensive tackle Malachi Goodman.
Hansen, also an Iowa State transfer, ran for 1,704 yards and 19 touchdowns across the 2024 and 2025 seasons. The 6-2, 216-pound senior is expected to lead a backfield rotation that also includes Ohio State transfer James Peoples and Quinton Martin Jr. Davis sees him as the kind of runner who can settle things down.
“I am very excited to watch (Hansen) because one of the ways that you are able to control things is to be able to run the football, take pressure off people,” Davis said.
“Penn State has had those runners for the last 3-4 years and everyone was excited about, and it’s almost like no one is talking about it anymore.
“I think this young man can step in and be extremely productive, very good right out of the gate.”
Goodman, meanwhile, brings a different kind of intrigue. The 6-6, 330-pound redshirt freshman was arguably the top signee in Penn State’s 2025 class and will compete for a starting job at tackle.
“I’m very curious for (Goodman),” Davis said.
“We knew about the (recruiting) hype and in this day age, most of those kids are going to play right away.
“That didn’t happen but boy, we know what the potential is.”
In Other News...
Penn State Just Entered The Race For A Massive Early OL Target
Penn State has jumped into the mix for Brendan Hall, a rising offensive line target who is starting to see his recruitment pick up across the country. The South Mecklenburg High School prospect recently picked up a scholarship offer from the Nittany Lions, adding another major program to a list that already has several schools tracking him closely as he works through the process.
Hall said he was excited by the Penn State opportunity and talked about navigating the early stages of his recruitment with his familys support. He already has multiple offers in hand and plans to take some fall visits, which should give Penn State a chance to make its case as the race for one of the more intriguing line prospects begins to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Camp Is Revealing Matt Campbells Early Priorities
Penn State is midway through training camp, and the early signs are less about depth chart drama than about how Matt Campbell wants the program to look and function. The coach has already shown he is willing to shuffle responsibilities and make room for different pieces, including a position change for freshman quarterback Peyton Falzone, while the offense and special teams are getting the sort of attention that often says a lot about a staffs priorities before the games begin.
Campbells setup in particular stands out because he has trimmed his own office space to create a dedicated meeting area for special teams, a move that underscores how much value he wants placed on that phase of the game. Around the roster, there is also a growing sense of belief, with running back James Peoples, the former Ohio State player, expressing confidence in Penn States postseason outlook as camp continues to reveal where this team thinks it can make its biggest gains. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Faces One Big Test As Matt Campbells New Era Begins
Penn State heads into its season opener against Marshall with a lot of familiar pressure and a lot of unfamiliar faces. Matt Campbell is beginning a new era in Happy Valley, Rocco Becht is settling in at quarterback, and DAnton Lynn is taking over the defense as the Nittany Lions try to turn a busy offseason into something coherent before the games start counting. The roster has been reshaped by 45 transfers, and the challenge now is less about talent acquisition than about getting everyone pointed in the same direction quickly.
Campbells arrival has brought a different kind of energy, one built around player development and a coaching staff with a wide range of backgrounds, including several who know Penn State from the inside. Even with the changes, the real test is still ahead: whether all of those pieces can mesh fast enough to look like a team in Week 1 rather than a collection of additions. The opener will not answer every question, but it will say plenty about how far this reset has already come. [Read more 🡒]