THON’s annual Pep Rally took center stage on Saturday night at the Bryce Jordan Center with Penn State athletics stars past and present.
New Penn State football coach Matt Campbell made his first THON appearance, joined by former quarterback and current assistant coach Trace McSorley to help kick off the event. And the Pep Rally was hosted by two former Nittany Lion athletes, the husband-and-wife duo of Juwan and Chanen Johnson.
The yearly tradition, sponsored by the Penn State Alumni Association, features Penn State varsity athletic teams performing choreographed dance routines and competing for a trophy in front of thousands at the Bryce Jordan Center.
Campbell, who was hired in December following the firing of former head coach James Franklin, received a loud ovation upon taking the stage and thanked the crowd for the reception he and his staff have received.
“Everybody keeps talking about the power of Penn State, and quite honestly, being here tonight, this is the power of Penn State,” Campbell said.
Campbell said his program talks a lot about “the ability to give more of your life than you take from others,” and called the impact THON and its thousands of student volunteers make for the fight against pediatric cancer “so powerful.”
“One of the great things I hope as you guys are getting ready to leave this campus, and you think about nights like this, this THON experience, and we say this in the football world, they’re going to forget the wins, they’re going to forget the tackles, the runs, the catches, but they’re never going to forget how you treated people, how you gave back to people.”
McSorley, who holds Penn State’s quarterback record for wins and completions, spent five years in the NFL before joining the Nittany Lion coaching staff for the 2025 season and being retained by Campbell in December.
He’s no stranger to THON having made multiple appearances as a student-athlete and alumnus, including as co-emcee last year.
“I love THON,” McSorley said. “What you guys do here, this event, and you guys in particular, are what makes this university better than every other university in the country. I know I’m biased, but what we do here is unmatched across the country. So you guys really do deserve a huge round of applause for what you do, the work you put in and the impact that you make in our community and the community across this country.”
McSorley, who took the stage with his son, Cade, to introduce Campbell, said the new Penn State head coach is “going to make an incredible impact on this university.”
Juwan and Chanen Johnson, meanwhile, emceed the proceedings.
Juwan Johnson played wide receiver at Penn State and totaled 1,123 receiving yards from 2015-18 before transferring to Oregon in 2019. He signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent and made a successful transition to tight end, signing a three-year, $30.75 million contract extension ahead of the 2025 season.
Chanen Johnson competed on Penn State’s women’s gymnastics team. The couple, who met while students at Penn State, have become social media stars via their joint TikTok account, juandchan, with 3.2 million followers, where they post about their day-to-day lives, relationship and their two kids.
Penn State senior Mackenzie Bronk, known as the Blue Band’s Blue Sapphire, officially opened the event at 8 p.m. alongside the band’s color guard. The rest of the Blue Band performed from the lower bowl beside the Four Diamonds stage.
The Nittany Lion and Penn State’s cheerleading team energized the crowd with the Lion’s traditional crowd control and a modified P-S-U chant, shouting FTK. The Lion then completed 46 push-ups in honor of the 46 hours dancers stand.
THON debuted its first Pep Rally Putt Putt Challenge, awarding one dancer $1,000 in crediting funds for their organization.
Sue Paterno, wife of the late Joe Paterno, appeared virtually midway through the event between student-athlete performances, addressing students, volunteers and families inside the arena.
“Sue Paterno, she is honestly the GOAT,” Johnson said. “We appreciate you for all you do.”
Former Penn State men’s gymnast and 2024 Olympic bronze medalist Stephen Nedoroscik also appeared in a pre-recorded video message displayed on the arena’s video boards.
“At this part of the night you’ve been on your feet forever just dancing,” Nedoroscik said. “Believe it or not, one of the biggest differences between what I did and what you guys are doing is it really truly matters…Right now, in this moment, I want to be your motivation to stay on your feet, get motivated, get hype and let’s do it for the kids.”
Men’s soccer ultimately claimed the trophy as the THON 2026 Pep Rally champions.
Four members of the Penn State Athlete Advisory Committee are dancing in THON 2026: field hockey’s Ella Jennes, men’s swimming and diving’s Erik Bolang, women’s volleyball’s Jocelyn Nathan and women’s soccer’s Mackenzie Gress. Members of the Lionettes dance team and cheerleading team are also participating.
The Pep Rally reached 100% of its fundraising goal during the event. During the tail-end of the event, THON captains announced that the amount raised in just that hour alone funds 100 days of Four Diamonds pediatric cancer research.
The 46-hour dance marathon benefiting the Four Diamonds at Penn State Health Children’s Hospital continues until 4 p.m. Sunday at the Bryce Jordan Center, concluding the weekend with the announcement of the final fundraising total for the year.
