Matt Campbell had a reminder handed to his Penn State team before the Lions ever kicked off against Marshall, and it came from someone who knows exactly what the program means.
Jordan Hill, the former Steel-High standout who starred on Penn State’s defensive line and was a leader on the respected 2012 team, spoke to the players last Monday ahead of the season opener. Hill now works as Penn State’s director of development and with the Penn State Football Letterman’s Club, keeping him closely connected to the program.
Campbell said Hill’s message landed the way it should have.
“Jordan Hill leads, he works with our leadership group, with myself and Jordan, and I thought he did a great job on Monday talking to our players about this is a special place to play football,” Campbell said after Penn State’s 45-0 win over Marshall at Beaver Stadium.
He said Hill helped frame the moment for the players, and for Campbell himself, in a way that cut through the noise.
“It means something to this crowd and this fanbase. It means something.
“You know, there are probably a lot of moments of insecurity in my own journey as a coach at times where you’re so worried about everything else you don’t have a chance to sit there and soak in.”
For Campbell, the game carried extra weight because it was his first time coaching Penn State at Beaver Stadium, and he made clear how much that meant to him.
“It was really special,” Campbell added, referring to his first game coaching Penn State at Beaver Stadium.
“To want to come out and watch our fans and watch what this place feels like and maybe look up and you see those teams on the scoreboard or on our press box and what it’s meant to our great coaches and players to play here.
“You’re just grateful to have the opportunity as a football team to continue to try to represent the past of this program.”
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