Matt Campbell didn’t have a clean bill of health to report Tuesday, but he did offer a clearer picture on a few key names as Penn State turns its attention to Michigan.
The biggest update centered on wide receiver Koby Howard and defensive end LaVar Arrington II, both of whom have missed multiple weeks. Campbell said their returns will be a “post-bye week conversation.” Still, he sounded particularly encouraged about Howard, adding, “if anybody's going to get back sooner than later, it'll be Koby Howard just because of how he works.”
Linebacker Alex Tatsch is a little less certain. He was sidelined Saturday after getting hurt in practice last week, and Campbell said the staff is still waiting on more information.
“Hopefully, we'll know a little bit more this week,” Campbell said. “I think you guys all know what Alex means to that linebacker room.”
Tatsch already missed the season opener against Marshall while recovering from an undisclosed injury in 2025. He returned to a depth role at linebacker for four weeks before missing his second game of the season last week.
Campbell also looked back on Penn State’s White Out weekend, where more than 100 recruits were on campus for the USC game, including commits from the Class of 2027 and prospects from the 2028 class. The result on the field was another loss, but Campbell said the recruiting side of the weekend still paid off.
“I think from our end of it, our recruiting staff did an incredible job,” Campbell said. “It was great to have so many great families here Friday, Saturday, even Sunday, Sunday night. Thought it was huge for us, so I thought a really positive weekend from that standpoint.”
Since taking over after National Signing Day in December, Campbell has rebuilt the class quickly. In the last 10 months, he’s put together the No. 24 recruiting class in 2027, per 247sports composite, and the No. 9 group in the Class of 2028.
For him, the White Out gave recruits more than a game day showcase. It was a chance to see the program, the people around it and the atmosphere inside Beaver Stadium.
“It was a great recruiting weekend in terms of the number of humans here that we've been able to identify over the last six months, them, their families,” Campbell said. “I think absolutely seeing that environment, watching that environment, watching our football team grow, I think are all things that were positive.”
On the field, the run game remains a work in progress. Penn State has still not found a reliable lead back through six weeks, with Carson Hansen and James Peoples splitting the bulk of the work while redshirt sophomore Quinton Martin Jr. has flashed at times. He had a team-best 61-yard run against Buffalo, but he logged far fewer carries than Hansen and Peoples and didn’t play a snap against USC.
Campbell said the current backfield rotation is closer to what the staff wants.
“I thought that rotation with (Carson) and James was probably closer to where we would like to be in terms of what's going on,” Campbell said. “Obviously, we still have great faith in Quinton and Cam (Wallace).”
Hansen carried 14 times against USC, his highest total since Week 2, and was used more in short-yardage situations. Peoples had his fewest carries of the season, though Campbell pointed to his explosiveness. Penn State finished with just 68 rushing yards, and Campbell said the ground game still has plenty of room to grow.
“There was growth there,” Campbell said. “Are we where we want to be? No, but I certainly think those two right now catching the ball in the backfield, some of the protection things, I think those things started to show itself, and we'll need to continue to grow in those areas.”
In Other News...
Penn State Still Feels The Fallout From One Costly Decision
Penn States coaching change in October 2025 set off a stretch of uncertainty that still shapes how the program is being judged today. James Franklin was dismissed after a third straight Big Ten loss, and what followed was a 54-day search that eventually landed on Matt Campbell. The move gave the Nittany Lions a fresh start on the sideline, but it also came with the kind of scrutiny that never really disappears once a high-profile job opens up.
The process drew plenty of attention along the way, including interest in Bob Chesney and Kalani Sitake, and it has only sharpened the conversation around athletic director Pat Krafts decisions. Penn State opened the next season 3-0, but the losses that followed knocked the team out of College Football Playoff contention and left the program dealing with the bigger question of whether the right call was made when the search finally ended. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Used White Out Weekend To Turn Up Recruiting Pressure
White Out weekend has long been Penn States best stage for making a first impression, and this years recruiting version leaned hard into that advantage. More than 100 prospects came through campus, giving the staff a chance to showcase the atmosphere to a group that included most of the 2027 class and several highly regarded 2028 players. Eighteen of the 22 committed players in that 2027 group were on hand, a useful sign for a class that is currently ranked No. 20 nationally.
The event also gave Penn State a chance to keep pushing ahead while the calendar still has room to shift. Along with hosting the visitors, the program handed out new offers to players in the 2028, 2029 and 2030 classes, widening the board while the buzz from the weekend was still fresh. For a staff that knows how much the White Out setting can matter, the message was clear: the pressure is on now, long before these recruiting battles reach the finish line. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Suddenly Has A Defensive Problem It Cant Ignore
Penn States defense hit a rough patch in Week 6, and Marcus Neal Jr. ended up at the center of it. The Iowa State transfer safety was benched after struggling in coverage during Big Ten play, a reminder that the Lions portal-heavy approach does not always come with instant answers, especially when the schedule tightens and the margins get smaller.
Neal is not the only former Cyclone who has had trouble settling in. Linebackers Kooper Ebel and Jeremiah Cooper have also underperformed, with tackling and coverage issues becoming part of the conversation. For a defense that wants to stay dependable deep into conference play, the question now is whether Penn State needs to lean less on some of those Iowa State transfers and give younger options a bigger look. [Read more 🡒]