A Penn State football legend is back around the program, this time on Matt Campbell’s staff.
Mark Brennan of Lions247 reported Thursday night that Michael Mauti has joined the staff as Director of Football Engagement. According to a Penn State source cited by Brennan, Mauti “will be tasked with serving as a liaison between current players, key financial supporters of the program and members of the PSU Football Letterman’s Club. His office is in the Lasch Football Building.”
Mauti’s Penn State career ran from 2008 to 2012, and his final season remains one of the most memorable in program history. In a year when the program was hit by scandal and sanction, Mauti became the leading voice for the players who stayed and helped the team finish 8-4. He was unable to play in the season finale against Wisconsin, but he was as involved as he could be on the sideline during Penn State’s 24-21 overtime win.
After college, Mauti spent five years in the NFL. He played for the Minnesota Vikings from 2013 to 2014 and then for the New Orleans Saints from 2015 to 2017.
Campbell has recently emphasized how much former players matter to the program. At Big Ten Media Days in Chicago on Tuesday, he said, “There’s no way we would have any chance to be where we’re at right now without our former players stepping up and coming back and being a part of either a phone conversation or spending their time to come back on campus,” Campbell said at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago Tuesday, “and be a part of our football.” I think we had over 450 former players back during spring ball, and to hear their story, to hear why it’s special to wear that uniform, what it means to represent this community, why our past and our history is special, and for us to be able to teach our current Penn State players, those that came aboard the Penn State football program in the last six months, man, what that standard looks like.”
In Other News...
Penn States Next Lead Back Battle Is Starting To Take Shape
Penn State is entering a new era at running back after saying goodbye to Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton, a tandem that piled up 7,641 rushing yards from 2022 to 2025 and helped define the offense for four seasons. With that production now in the rearview, the attention has shifted to how the Nittany Lions rebuild the backfield around a group that is still taking shape but already has some obvious candidates.
At Big Ten Football Media Days, Matt Campbell sounded confident about the options available, pointing to transfers Carson Hansen and James Peoples, along with returnee Quinton Martin Jr., as players who can help carry the load. Campbell talked through what each brings from past stops and from Penn States own roster, and while the pecking order is not fully settled yet, the early outline suggests the Nittany Lions believe they have enough pieces to keep the position from becoming a question mark. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State's First Real Matt Campbell Test May Come Sooner Than Fans Think
Matt Campbells first Penn State team already has the feel of a group people will be trying to figure out on the fly. With a new head coach, a largely revamped roster and a fresh staff entering the 2026 season, the Nittany Lions are one of the more interesting unknowns in the Big Ten. ESPN analyst Bill Connelly recently leaned into that uncertainty, pointing to Penn State as a possible dark horse as the schedule starts to take shape.
The early road map also suggests the pressure could arrive sooner than some fans expect. A Week 6 matchup with USC stands out as the kind of game that can tell you a lot about where this team is headed under Campbell, especially with the conference slate offering little room to settle in. For a program trying to establish a new identity quickly, those first real measuring-stick games may end up defining the conversation around Penn State long before the season reaches its midpoint. [Read more 🡒]
Benjamin Brahmer Gives Penn State A Tight End Question To Solve
Benjamin Brahmer arrives at Penn State with the kind of profile that can make a tight end room more interesting in a hurry. The former Iowa State transfer brings real value as a red zone target, along with the athleticism and hands that suggest he can create problems for defenses when the field gets tighter and space gets scarce.
What makes him such a notable fit is also what makes the evaluation more complicated. Brahmer has the tools to matter in Penn States offense, especially as the Nittany Lions look at how he might complement the other tight ends already in the mix, but his game is still a work in progress in a few key areas. The next step is figuring out how much he can expand beyond a specialized role and turn those traits into something the offense can lean on more often. [Read more 🡒]