After a nearly two-month search process filled with twists and turns, Penn State officially named Matt Campbell its head coach on Dec. 8, embarking on a new era of Nittany Lion athletics.
Campbell has been around for less than two weeks, and he’s also taken a back-seat approach, allowing interim head coach Terry Smith to finish out the season after he successfully maneuvered a turnaround.
While Campbell hasn’t interfered on the coaching side, he’s been holding meetings — first with the entire team, and then with each individual player.
“I had my meeting with him last week,” wide receiver Trebor Peña said Wednesday. “He’s a great dude, and you can tell he cares, and you can tell he’s smart, can tell he’s well respected. So I’m excited for the guys that’s staying and I’m excited for where he takes this program.”
For graduating seniors, Campbell won’t be coaching them into the future but still wants to get their advice, asking about their experience and learning from it.
“He was just trying to get to know me. And I kind of broke down my story to him, and learned a little bit about him too,” Peña said. “He was asking me things that I like, things that I didn’t like, how we can grow things that we do. Well, he’s just trying to get a sense of what older guys feel.”
Veteran linebacker Dom DeLuca is gearing up for his final game as a Nittany Lion, but he also sat down with Campbell and came away with similar thoughts.
“I was able to meet with him and have a brief meeting and conversation with him,” DeLuca said. “I mean, he seems like a great guy. I’m excited to see what he does here for Penn State and the program. Just really, trying to get to know him, it was awesome. He seems like he’s really trying to do whatever he can to help the players achieve their goals.”
For others, it’s a chance for Campbell to pitch himself and his vision in an attempt to keep them from transferring. Other schools smell blood in the water and may attempt to poach Penn State’s roster when the portal opens in January, given the state of the program.
Campbell is still doing damage control, attempting to hold together the remaining pieces of last year’s team while bringing in new players to supplement it, but three Nittany Lions have already declared intent to enter the transfer portal, including two after he was hired — cornerback Elliot Washington II and defensive end Chaz Coleman.
While neither were starters this season, both played meaningful snaps and were expected to push for larger roles next season. According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Penn State made Coleman a retention priority and was “willing to pay,” but he ultimately decided to explore other options and is now ranked as the No. 1 overall transfer portal player by 247Sports.
Another key domino in all of this is quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, who has a previous relationship with Campbell. Grunkemeyer took an official visit to Iowa State during his initial recruitment, but when the Cyclones picked up a commitment from three-star quarterback Connor Moberly, Grunkemeyer turned his attention elsewhere.
“I know the culture he’s built at Iowa State, and I really like that,” Grunkemeyer said. “I think it’ll carry over here really well. So just a really good impression. I like how he handles the program, and I like what he’s about as a coach and as a person.”
Still, Grunkemeyer said “nothing is decided yet” regarding his future in college.
Safety King Mack, who has two seasons of eligibility remaining, is also undecided on where he’ll play next year. But based on early conversations, he described Campbell in a similar way to Smith, calling him “honest” and “straightforward.”
“Matt Campbell plans on changing the culture, and I feel like the plan that he has, it’s a great plan, and all we need to do is just have everyone buy in,” Mack said.
