Matt Campbell has only been in charge at Penn State since this offseason, but he’s already talking like a coach with the standing to swat at Texas and Ohio State.
That’s what makes the message he’s reportedly using on the recruiting trail so striking. In trying to sell Penn State as a destination, Campbell has been telling prospects, "This is College Football Town, USA.
We are not living in Austin, Texas, or Columbus, Ohio, where you’re just part of it. We are it."
It’s a confident pitch, sure. It also comes with some baggage.
Campbell is a respected coach, but the résumé still says good, not great. He spent the previous decade at Iowa State and went 72-55 overall with a 50-40 mark in the Big 12 before landing the Penn State job.
This season, though, has not exactly put him in position to fire off shots at anybody. Penn State is 3-3, and the start to Big Ten play has been rough at 0-3.
Those conference losses have come against unranked Wisconsin, unranked Northwestern, and No. 19 USC, which makes the timing of the trash talk even harder to explain.
The Ohio State angle at least makes a little sense. Penn State is in the Big Ten now, and Columbus sits squarely in the same recruiting neighborhood. There’s a real reason for a coach in Happy Valley to frame Ohio State as a direct rival for prospects.
Texas is a different story.
Campbell’s history against the Longhorns does not exactly scream authority. While Texas was still in the Big 12, he went 3-5 against the program, and his last win in the series came in 2021. Since Steve Sarkisian took over in 2021, Campbell is 1-2 against Texas, with that lone victory coming in Sarkisian’s first season.
So yes, Campbell can sell Penn State however he wants. But if he’s going to take swings at Texas and Ohio State on the recruiting trail, he probably needs a little more evidence on the field first. Right now, he’s got bigger problems closer to home than the teams he’s trying to use as foils.
And unlike Ohio State, Texas isn’t even on Penn State’s regular-season schedule. With the way this season has gone, a College Football Playoff matchup with either the Buckeyes or the Longhorns looks extremely unlikely anyway.
In Other News...
Arch Manning Is Giving Texas A Season-Altering Offensive Question
Arch Mannings first five games have left Texas with a much bigger offensive question than anyone expected at this point in the season. The senior quarterback has shown the kind of talent that keeps the Longhorns believing, but also the kind of uneven play that has made the offense harder to trust, especially in a recent loss to Oklahoma where two critical interceptions helped swing the game the wrong way. Through those five games, he has thrown for 1,122 yards with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 63 percent of his passes.
The bigger issue for Texas is that Mannings inconsistency is only part of the picture. The Longhorns offensive struggles have been tied to more than one source, with coaching decisions and offensive line play also shaping how the unit has looked from week to week. Even so, Manning is the center of it all, because Texas needs steadier quarterback play if it wants the offense to settle in and stop leaving so many drives unfinished. [Read more 🡒]
Texas May Be Catching A Huge Break Before Florida Arrives
Florida may be heading into Saturdays trip to Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium with a new wrinkle at quarterback. Aaron Philo has reportedly been limited in practice because of an undisclosed injury, and if that keeps him from going, the Gators would be turning to backup Tramel Jones for what would be the first start of his career.
For Texas, it is the sort of development that can change the feel of a matchup before the opening kickoff. The Longhorns are already bringing a defense that figures to present a serious challenge, and now Florida is trying to sort out its quarterback situation against that backdrop. How the Gators handle the position leading into the game could shape the entire night in Austin. [Read more 🡒]
Arch Manning Is Raising A Texas Question Fans Cant Ignore
Arch Mannings first season in the spotlight has looked a lot like a young quarterback learning on the fly at Texas: the kind of flashes that remind everyone why the hype existed, followed by stretches where the operation around him feels unsettled. He has shown he can make impressive plays, but the issues have been harder to ignore too, from decision-making to footwork to how he handles the pocket when the rush closes in.
Steve Sarkisian has openly acknowledged the mixed results, and the bigger question hanging over the Longhorns is how much of this is on Manning and how much belongs to the coaching staff that has had four years to shape him. Texas expected growth by now, and the debate around Manning is no longer just about talent. It is about whether the Longhorns are getting the most out of it. [Read more 🡒]