Hello, Matt Campbell: Penn State Updates Football Coaches Plaques Outside Beaver Stadium

Just in time for the Nittany Lions’ Blue-White Practice on Saturday inside Beaver Stadium, Penn State has made a small but significant update on the outside wall of the stadium, adjacent to the exterior of the south end zone tunnel:

The plaques featuring the 17 fulltime head football coaches at Penn State, dating back to George Hoskins (17-4-4) in 1892-95, have been recently updated:

James Franklin’s 11.5-season reign at Penn State — from Jan. 11, 2014 to Oct.12, 2025 — has been immortalized with a plaque that notes “Seasons 2014-2025” and “Record 104-45.” Franklin is now the head football coach at Virginia Tech.

And the start of the Matt Campbell Era has been officially recognized, with the new Nittany Lion head coach — hired on Dec. 5, 2025 — featured on his own plaque, with his name above “Seasons 2026.”

(The timing couldn’t have been any better: As of Tuesday, Campbell is halfway home to the season-opener against Marshall in Beaver Stadium on Sept. 5, dating back to his hire date. It’s 137 days each way.)

Unfortunately, former interim head coach Terry Smith and his impressive 4-3 record after taking over as the program’s top man in the midst of a downward spiral that cost Franklin his job, is not included among the head coaches. Neither is Tom Bradley and his 1-3 record in 2011 — which included a 20-14 victory over Ohio State in The Horseshoe as the interim head coach following the firing of Joe Patrerno.

Franklin’s 104 career wins rank him tied for second all-time in PSU history with Paterno’s successor and mentor, Rip Engle, who was 104-48-4 from 1950-63. Franklin had three chances to surpass Engle, but lost all three before subsequently losing his job in the process. (The defeats: 30-24 in a White Out overtime to No. 5 Oregon, then back-to-back losses at unranked UCLA, 42-37, and to unranked Northwestern, 22-21.)

Paterno is the all-time wins leader for both Penn State and the FBS, at 409-136-3 from 1966 to 2011. Bill O’Brien, at 15-9 in 2012-13, is sandwiched below Paterno and above Franklin among the Beaver Stadium plaques.

A few yards to the east of the head coaches’ plaques is another set of plaques. They are a season-by-season listing, with a game-by-game accounting, of Penn State’s wins and losses. The Nittany Lions’ 2025 season — which concluded with a 22-10 victory over Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl, for a final record of 7-6 — has not yet been added to that set of seasons.

BLUE-WHITE SATURDAY — Fans can grab an up-close look at the new plaques outside the stadium on Saturday, when Penn State will hold a free, open-to-the-public practice session. It begins at 1 p.m. and is preceded by:

• 8 a.m. — Parking lots open

• 9 a.m. — Equipment sale

• 10:45 am. — Football team arrival by the south tunnel and the plaques

• 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. — photo with the Nittany Lion, cheerleaders and Lionettes

• 11 a.m. to noon — Football team autograph session

• 12:10 p.m. to 12:40 p.m. — PSU wresting team and women’s hockey team autograph session

• 1 p.m. — Football practice starts