Matt Campbell walked onto the Big Ten Media Days stage with a point to make: this conference is not new to him, even if Penn State is.
Campbell said he has spent the last two decades studying the Big Ten, growing up in Ohio, playing high school and college football there, and coaching in the conference’s footprint throughout his career. For him, showing up in Chicago carried real meaning.
"Growing up in the footprint of the Big Ten, playing high school and college football in the footprint of the Big Ten, coaching, honestly, in my entire coaching career in the footprint of the Big Ten - and I think for me even the last two decades studying all the great teams and the great coaches in the Big Ten - it's a great honor to be here," he said.
During his 15 minutes on the main stage, Campbell touched on a wide range of Penn State topics, from why the move felt right to the players and staff he highlighted as key pieces of the program.
He said leaving Iowa State would only make sense if the next stop fit the way he believes a team and a culture should be built.
"On why this was the right time to leave Iowa State: I really loved my time in Ames, Iowa, and I'm really proud of what we were able to accomplish at Iowa State in our 10 years. Great players, great people, great community. If we were ever going to leave Iowa State, it was going to have to be a school and an institution that really fit how I believe and what I believe and how you build culture, how you build team and how you build forward.
I think for the last six months, we've been reminded why it was such a great fit for us at Penn State. I think the history, what it means to play there, but how you do it, the integrity, the character and the class in its finest moments, what Penn State football has really stood for, really resonated with myself and certainly my background. It really had to be a perfect fit, and that's really why."
Campbell also leaned into the history around him, saying the job comes with the responsibility of carrying on what Penn State football has already built.
"On coaching at Penn State: It's an honor to build on those great successes and traditions of our past. I will tell you we will honor the traditions of this great program, a program that's played over 139 years of football, has almost 950 wins in college football. It's my opportunity and my honor to be able to represent that great football program.
I think what we have found in our short time here in State College, number one, is an unbelievable community that's wrapped their arms around myself and our family, our coaches and our family, and represent one of the proudest and most distinguished football fan bases in the country. It's a fan base that loves football, but most importantly, how you build your football program. You build your football program with character, integrity, class and excellence, and I've really appreciated our fan base's wisdom around those values."
He then turned to several players he sees as central to the roster. On offensive lineman Anthony Donkoh, Campbell called him a fourth-year player, a two-year starter, and the first young man to decide to return when the staff got back to campus. He pointed to Donkoh’s work ethic and character as traits that have shown up on and off the field.
On linebacker Tony Rojas, Campbell noted that he is also a fourth-year player and two-year starter. He praised Rojas for fighting back from the injury he suffered in the Oregon game a year ago, calling his recovery and talent a steadying force in the program.
Campbell also had strong words for quarterback Rocco Becht, whom he described as a senior and the winningest quarterback returning in college football this year. He said Becht’s grit, character and toughness have shaped his career, and called him an impressive competitor and connector in the locker room.
"... It's a small sample of a locker room of gentlemen just like them, a locker room of young men that stayed at Penn State and a locker room of young men that came to Penn State for a devoted cause."
"That's a guy that we want to play for, somebody that knows where we came from."
Campbell also explained why defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn was an important hire. He said Lynn’s three years as a defensive coordinator in the Big Ten gave him a strong feel for the style of play in the league, and he pointed to the improvement at UCLA and USC under Lynn’s watch.
Campbell added that Lynn’s background as a former player, along with his understanding of what Penn State means, made him a strong fit. He said Lynn has already made a major impression on the program and assembled a strong staff.
Finally, Campbell made clear how much it mattered to keep Terry Smith in the building. He said it was critical before he even truly accepted the job and credited Pat Kraft and the university for making it possible.
Campbell said his earlier connection to Smith came from trying to recruit players from Smith’s high school program while he was at Toledo. He later saw Smith guide the team through adversity at the end of the year, and said Smith gave Penn State a strong foundation to move forward from.
"My gratitude and honor to be able to work forward with Terry and lead forward with Terry means a great deal to myself and certainly means a great deal to our young men and our football program."
In Other News...
Penn States Iconic Jersey Is About To Change Forever
Penn States football uniforms are headed for a long-anticipated change, with athletic director Pat Kraft confirming the program will soon add a corporate logo patch to the jerseys. It is the latest sign that even one of college footballs most tradition-heavy brands is adjusting to the new financial realities of the sport, and Penn State is approaching the move with the same caution it has shown in other revenue pursuits.
Kraft said the department is weighing the right fit while trying to protect the look and feel of the jersey, a balancing act that has become familiar across the Big Ten as more schools embrace patch deals. Penn State has already leaned into other money-making avenues, from a cryptocurrency fan token platform to a stadium field-naming rights agreement, and the jersey patch now appears to be the next piece of that broader push, even if the final rollout is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Fans Can See This Uniform Change Coming Now
The NCAAs approval of commercial patches on college uniforms has already started to reshape the Big Ten, with Illinois, Northwestern, Michigan State and Ohio State all moving ahead with jersey sponsorships. For Penn State, the change feels less like a question of if than when, especially as schools around the league begin turning a once-taboo space on the uniform into a new revenue stream.
An official announcement has not arrived yet, but the expectation around Happy Valley is that the Nittany Lions will not sit this one out for long. Once Penn State does move, the sponsor will say plenty about how the program wants to balance tradition with the modern business of college sports, and it will be worth watching which local or national brand ends up in that spot. [Read more 🡒]
Pat Kraft Just Sent Penn State Fans A Blunt Basketball Message
Penn States mens basketball budget is getting a noticeable lift, and athletic director Pat Kraft made it clear the program is being asked to think bigger about what it takes to compete in the Big Ten. In an interview, Kraft said the Nittany Lions are still spending below the leagues top programs, even as the budget has nearly doubled for the 2026-2027 season and now sits around $8 million, with NIL and third-party support playing a growing role in how schools build rosters.
Kraft also put the focus on the people trying to make that money matter, praising Mike Rhoades and his staff for the way they have recruited and developed the roster. The message was straightforward: Penn State wants to be competitive at a high level, but getting there means more than just opening the checkbook, and the next step in that climb will depend on how the program keeps bridging the gap with the leagues biggest spenders. [Read more 🡒]