Matt Campbell’s first few months at Penn State have gone about as well as he could have asked on the field. The Nittany Lions are 3-0 and sitting at No. 13 in the country. But the real test of whether this thing can hold up long term is still sitting right in front of him: can he recruit Pennsylvania at a level that matches the expectations in Happy Valley?
Right now, the early answer is mixed. Campbell has only one top-20 in-state commit in the 2027 class, defensive lineman Stanley Montgomery.
The 2028 group looks more promising, with four-star quarterback James Armstrong and four-star defensive back Deonte Flemings Jr. already on board. That’s a start, not a finish, and Week 4 gives Penn State a huge chance to push things forward.
Saturday’s homecoming game against Wisconsin comes with more than just a Big Ten matchup. Penn State will also host a massive visitors list that now includes more than 60 confirmed prospects. At the top of that group is Armstrong, back on campus for another look, and in-state four-star edge rusher George Parkinson IV, who may end up telling the story of this new staff’s recruiting credibility.
Parkinson is the kind of player who can change the temperature around a program’s recruiting profile. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound edge from Malvern Prep is ranked No. 88 overall in the country by 247Sports Composite and has drawn interest from LSU, Ohio State, Oregon, and Tennessee.
This is not a local-only pursuit. It’s a real national battle, and Penn State has already had him on campus before.
Still, this visit feels loaded with meaning.
That’s because Campbell’s background is built around development and finding underrated talent. That worked at Iowa State, where he and general manager Derek Hoodjer made a habit of uncovering hidden gems instead of consistently winning the biggest recruiting wars.
At Penn State, though, the bar is different. The resources are bigger, the expectations are heavier, and the staff has to prove it can win high-end battles, especially inside the state.
There’s also the issue of Jett Harrison, the No. 1 recruit in Pennsylvania, who is already committed to Ohio State. That makes Parkinson even more important.
Land him, and Penn State can point to a statement win in-state and give future recruits a reason to believe. Miss, and the questions about blue-chip recruiting only get louder.
Armstrong, meanwhile, may wind up being the most valuable recruiter on campus Saturday. He’s now in the Rivals top 100, and while Parkinson is currently ranked slightly higher, the quarterback remains the centerpiece of the 2028 class. With so many prospects coming through, Armstrong’s presence could matter as much as anyone’s.
The visitor list spans 2027, 2028, and 2029 recruits, but the focus is clearly on building around Armstrong and making that class stronger. As his profile keeps rising, the pull of playing alongside him should only get stronger, too.
Campbell never signed a top-100 quarterback at Iowa State, so this part of the job is already a step up. Whether it becomes a pattern or just a one-off will say plenty about what kind of recruiting force he can become at Penn State.
In Other News...
Penn State Staffer Faces Serious Off-Field Legal Trouble
A Penn State assistant coach is now dealing with an off-field situation that is drawing attention in State College and around the program. Jordan Lucas, the Nittany Lions assistant cornerbacks coach, was charged with two misdemeanor counts of DUI and three summary traffic violations after police found him asleep in a vehicle downtown with a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit.
The stop came after officers found the vehicle illegally positioned in a crosswalk, with Lucas also listed as having a suspended drivers license and an expired vehicle registration. Penn State acknowledged the charges and said Lucas remains with the program while the legal matter moves forward, leaving the university to manage both the public fallout and the uncertainty around what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States Offensive Line Just Got Thinner At The Worst Time
Penn States offensive line depth took another hit at an unwelcome time, with Will Tompkins ruled out for the season because of injury, according to coach Matt Campbell. Tompkins had played 31 snaps across the first three games after transferring in from Iowa State, giving the Nittany Lions another experienced body in a position group that can never have enough of them.
The setback leaves Penn State without a player it had hoped could help stabilize things as the year unfolded, and it also delays any chance to see how he might have fit into the rotation over a full season. There is still some long-term silver lining: Tompkins is expected to keep four years of eligibility after this season, so his Penn State story is far from over even if this one now pauses before it really got going. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States RB Battle Just Got Tougher To Ignore Entering Big Ten Play
Penn State spent the nonconference slate getting a closer look at four running backs, and the rotation did not make the answer any simpler. Carson Hansen, James Peoples, Quinton Martin Jr. and Cam Wallace all got chances to show what they can do, but the way those carries were distributed also made it clear this job is still open as Big Ten play arrives.
Martin stood out most against Buffalo, where his versatility in the passing game added another layer to his case, while Peoples continued to show growth and a knack for finding the end zone. Those two now look like the clearest candidates to head the depth chart, even if the staff has not committed to one lead option yet, and the coming conference games should tell whether Penn State leans toward the more dynamic all-purpose threat or the back who has been quickest to turn touches into points. [Read more 🡒]