Matt Campbell’s plan for Penn State has room for portal bets, and Brock Riker looks like the kind that can pay off.
Campbell has built his reputation on development, but he’s not treating the transfer portal like a forbidden zone. He and general manager Derek Hoodjer went hunting for projects this offseason, and one of the biggest ones - Texas State center Brock Riker - came through his first real test Saturday against Marshall.
Riker arrived in Happy Valley after a strong freshman year in the Sun Belt, but with a clear physical assignment in front of him: add serious weight and hold up in the Big Ten. He’s up about 35 pounds now, and the early signs are encouraging. He still moves well, and through Week 1 he has looked like one of the best players on the Penn State offense.
On Tuesday, Campbell was asked about Riker and left tackle Malachi Goodman, the two question marks on an offensive line that had to replace four starters from last season. Campbell said Riker graded out as the unit’s best offensive player.
“Had a great day, I thought from communication standpoint to physicality at the point of attack, I thought he was outstanding,” Campbell said of his redshirt sophomore.
That said, Marshall was only the first checkpoint. Riker’s rise to the top of the depth chart over Dominic Rulli answered one question, but the bigger one remains: can he handle Big Ten interior defensive linemen? He looked the part against a Sun Belt opponent, which is exactly what you’d expect from a lineman who was already one of the best at his level last year.
The next two weeks should keep building the case. Temple is up next, followed by Buffalo in Week 3.
The real proving ground comes in Week 4, when Penn State hosts Wisconsin. That’s when the questions about whether Riker can translate this early success into conference play will get a much firmer answer.
For Penn State, this isn’t just about one lineman. Keeping Rocco Becht upright and getting a physical run game going matters right now, but Campbell’s bigger mission depends on finding and developing players like Riker. If the staff can keep turning those kinds of portal additions into dependable starters, it changes what this program can be.
That’s the larger pitch behind Campbell’s move from Iowa State to Penn State. The idea is simple: raise the talent floor, keep the developmental machine humming, and the jump from overachieving to truly contending gets a lot shorter. Most of that thinking has centered on high school recruiting, but it applies to the portal too.
Campbell, Hoodjer, and the rest of the staff have already shown they can identify under-the-radar Group of Six players and turn them into Power Conference contributors. Riker is the latest example, and Penn State is going to need more players like him if it wants to keep pace with programs recruiting at the Ohio State or Oregon level.
It’s too soon to call Riker a full-fledged win. But if he keeps playing like this deep into the Big Ten schedule, it gives Campbell’s approach a real early boost in Happy Valley.
In Other News...
Penn State Mourns A Former Star As New Details Emerge
Matt Suhey, one of Penn States most respected former stars, was found dead at his home in Deerfield, Illinois, a loss that adds another somber note to the programs long football lineage. Suhey went on to become a fixture with the Chicago Bears, remembered most for his work as a lead blocker for Walter Payton and for scoring the first touchdown in the Bears Super Bowl XX win.
The Lake County Coroners Office said there were no suspicious circumstances and that his death was due to natural causes tied to a significant medical history. For Penn State fans, Suhey was part of an era that still carries weight in the schools football story, and his passing is likely to prompt the kind of reflection that follows whenever one of the programs former standard-bearers is lost. [Read more 🡒]
Nick Sirianni Has A Surprising Penn State Tie Coming To The Linc
Matt Campbell and Nick Sirianni have traveled a long way from their days as roommates at Mount Union, and now their careers are set to cross again in a much bigger spotlight. Sirianni has already climbed to Super Bowl-winning status with the Eagles, while Campbell has settled in as Penn States head coach, giving their old relationship a new layer of intrigue whenever the schedules and sideline duties line up.
Campbell recently spoke with Sirianni after Penn States debut win, a reminder that the two still lean on one another as they navigate the demands that come with leading major programs. Now Campbell is bringing his team to Lincoln Financial Field, where Sirianni coaches, adding a personal twist to a game that already carries plenty of attention for Penn State fans following the programs new chapter. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Is Leaning Back Into Its Past In A Big Way
Penn State has quietly spent the early part of the season leaning back into its history, and not in a subtle way. Matt Campbell has made clear he wants the program to honor the legacy of former coach Joe Paterno, with Jay Paterno around practice, Sue Paterno addressing the team, and the school opening the Paterno Family Football Experience Room as part of that broader nod to the past. Even the season opener carried a familiar visual, with the team running out under a banner tied to Paternos era.
Campbell has framed it as a matter of respecting where the program came from and the value system that helped shape it. Still, the move naturally invites a bigger conversation about how Penn State balances celebration of its football lineage with the scrutiny that comes with it, and how far the program is willing to go in reconnecting with one of the most defining figures in its history. [Read more 🡒]