Newly hired Penn State head coach Matt Campbell has already brought a handful of staff members with him from Iowa State, including offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser, who will take over in 2026.
Mouser has been with Campbell dating back to their time at Toledo, and played a pivotal role in the Cyclones’ historic decade of success. Current Nittany Lion offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki will coach the Pinstripe Bowl against Clemson on Dec. 27, but Mouser will take control after that.
Here’s what to know about Penn State’s next offensive coordinator.
Coaching history
2015: Toledo graduate assistant
2016: Iowa State graduate assistant
2017-18: Iowa State assistant director of scouting
2019-2020: Iowa State quality control coach (offense)
2021-23: Iowa State tight ends coach
2024-25: Iowa State offensive coordinator/tight ends coach
At 34, Mouser is relatively young for an offensive coordinator and only has two seasons of play-calling under his belt. His rapid ascent and recruiting background are valuable tools, and his history with tight ends could prove advantageous for the Nittany Lions, who’ve produced five NFL starters at the position since 2018 (Mike Gesicki, Pat Freiermuth, Brenton Strange, Theo Johnson, Tyler Warren).
Recruiting and development:
Mouser is credited as the primary recruiter in four commitments, per 247Sports, all from three-star tight ends: Andrew Keller and Gabe Burkle from the class of 2022 and Keaton Roskop and Cooper Alexander from the 2024 cycle.
Keller, the highest-rated of the group, medically retired this offseason ahead of his redshirt junior campaign without ever seeing the field. Burkle had 26 receptions for 302 yards and a touchdown in 2024, but dealt with injuries. Roskop and Alexander have seen limited action through two seasons on the roster.
Though he’s not credited for the recruitment of Charlie Kolar, Mouser was his tight ends coach in 2021 when he totaled 62 receptions for 756 yards and six touchdowns, which he parlayed into a fourth-round draft selection by the Baltimore Ravens.
Mouser also spent one season coaching tight end Chase Allen, who recently signed with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the XFL. Additionally, Mouser coached Stevo Klotz, a current practice squad member for the Los Angeles Chargers, for four seasons.
Offensive results:
The Cyclones went 19-7 in his two seasons as offensive coordinator, with fairly mediocre offensive numbers.
Among the 16 teams in the Big 12, Iowa State ranked No. 7 in 2024 and No. 11 in 2025 in points per game, and No. 9 both years in yards per game.
They’ve been run-heavy both seasons, keeping the ball on the ground 52% of the time in 2024 and 58% of the time last season. That fits the Penn State model, as the Nittany Lions have only finished a season with more pass attempts than rush attempts three times: 2014, 2017 and 2021.
Scheme:
One thing that stands out about Mouser’s offense is the lack of screen passes — only 5.6% of total dropbacks in 2024 and 4.7% in 2025 were screens, per PFF. For reference, Penn State was at 10.9% in 2024 and 13.4% this season.
Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht attempted 102 deep passes (20-plus yards downfield) across the last two seasons, while Drew Allar and Ethan Grunkemeyer attempted just 76 while playing in more games (28 vs. 26).
The Cyclones have run play action roughly a quarter of the time, similar to the Nittany Lions across the last two years.
There are also slight differences in the run game, as Iowa State ran outside the tackles at roughly a 9% higher rate than Penn State (69% vs. 60%) and incorporated virtually no jet sweeps.
Overall, Mouser’s offense has limited presnap movement and much more of a downfield presence than Kotelnicki’s. He’s an aggressive play-caller and utilizes tight ends heavily.
