After 'Very Chaotic' Start, Penn State's Matt Campbell Wants to Go Slower

In February, Matt Campbell used the word "whirlwind" three times to describe his first six weeks as the Penn State football coach. Everything moved faster, from staff construction to roster retention to the two-week transfer portal window in January. Derek Hoodjer, Penn State football's general manager, described the process as "very chaotic."

"It's been a lot, and it's been a joy to watch this thing come together," Campbell said on Signing Day.

As he leads Penn State through spring practice for the first time, Campbell has a new theme: Slow and right. Campbell used the term five times Tuesday morning, when the Nittany Lions opened spring drills, to describe a team beginning its new chapter.

Penn State faces a lot of "slow and right" moments this spring. Multiple key Nittany Lions are recovering from injuries and offseason procedures and will be limited during drills. That includes quarterback Rocco Becht, who will throw but likely not scrimmage much as he takes over the Penn State offense.

The Nittany Lions also are still navigating plenty of roster and culture change. Fifty-five new players joined the roster, which also includes 52 returning Nittany Lions from the 2025 team. Campbell brought 24 players with him from Iowa State, many of whom didn't expect their coach to leave Ames.

Penn State is installing a new defense under coordinator D'Anton Lynn and integrating multiple players into Taylor Mouser's offense. As a result, Campbell wants to slow the whirlwind of change and ensure a methodical approach this spring.

"I think it really is slow and right," Campbell said. "I still believe like coaching is teaching, and teaching is the ability to inspire learning and the ability to every time you go out to practice or every time you go to a meeting, these are teaching opportunities. I think it's really important to make sure that we provide the platform to be great teachers, whether that's a meeting, that's a walk-through, whether that's a practice.

"I do think every year is still different in football. Especially with the turnover now in rosters from year to year and certainly sometimes coaching staffs, I am a believer that you always start back over at square one and rebuild your way through it. I think, even as a head coach, you're always self-reflecting what went well, what didn't go well? How do we be better, and what does this team need?"

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Campbell referred to his recovering players similarly. Though Penn State is missing multiple projected starters this spring, Campbell wants them to get healthy before getting into the system.

"Again, from my end, slow and right with anybody coming off an injury is still priority No. 1," Campbell said. "What can we get them into? I think the good thing about guys that had season-ending injuries a year ago, at least they can start to do some things, and we have to create a practice that allows those guys to get reps, whether that's walk-through or run-through or whether that's individual how do we progress those guys forward where they can still grow in spring practice."

Penn State will hold 15 practices culminating with the April 25 Blue-White Weekend, that likely will look much different this year. Until then, the practice process will be deliberate.

"I think every year, even in a spring practice setting, every year it's going to look a little different just based on where you're at," Campbell said. "I don't think it's so foreign to me in terms of starting back over, but I do think aligning everybody, making sure we're slow and right right now. Where do drills go? Where does the offense go? Where does the defense go? All of those things are certainly unique and new. So slow and right is really the process for us."

Penn State Nittany Lions football coach Matt Campbell speaks during a press conference at Beaver Stadium. | Mark Wogenrich/Penn State on SI

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