Five Questions For Penn State Coach Matt Campbell

The Nittany Lions coach discusses hiring D'Anton Lynn, his offensive coordinator's "fearlessness" and starting anew.

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

Penn State football coach Matt Campbell called his first seven weeks on the job a "whirlwind" of staff construction, roster building and recruiting to put together a 2026 roster. He still isn't done and notably must hire a new receivers coach, with Noah Pauley headed to Green Bay.

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

During his first press conference since his December introduction, Campbell discussed his roster, staff and the process of putting it all together. Here are some highlights from Campbell's February media availability.

RELATED: Matt Campbell evaluates his first Penn State roster

Matt Campbell describes his first seven weeks at Penn State

I would say the beginning part of it was trying to figure out, unify and align a football team, and we put a lot of time and effort into both our Penn State roster and then, as a lot of you have covered us know, there's been about 55 additions to build a football team for this current football season.

I feel like we went with the mentality of not wavering from who we want this football team to be, what the value systems of character — young men that love the sport of football, young men that love Penn State, and I would say most importantly, young men also that know and understand the value of an education from this institution. Those core values were really critical for us to kind of build this football team forward.

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

Campbell discusses starting anew at Penn State

The reality is you don't have all the answers. I think what Iowa State taught me is you have to go in and you have to figure out what was going on, what are the positives, what are the areas of growth, and how do you make the right moves moving forward.

I think that's what I took that I learned from my Iowa State experience into this experience, that you don't have all the answers. You certainly know who you are and what your vision to build a program is, but how do you know what are the right moves until you know where they're at, where we're at and where we need to move ourselves forward to.

I think that's probably the carryover or similarities taking over here. But I think the difference, obviously, was probably the player acquisition piece. How do you build a current team to move forward? How do you build a foundation? Again, there's probably some areas that you wish you didn't have to deal with, and then there's probably some other areas you're really grateful that you had the ability to deal the way we were able to deal with to build the best team we possibly could to move ourselves forward, and this team has got to be a great foundation for the vision forward of Penn State football.

Penn State’s Matt Campbell is meeting the media for the first time since being introduced in December.

Here, he discusses Penn State’s football history and connecting with past players and coaches. pic.twitter.com/WbdWNPsmP3

— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) February 4, 2026

Campbell describes offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser's "fearlessness"

I think Taylor has proven over his two-year period to be one of the up-and-coming bright minds in all of college football. I think he's got a fearlessness as a play caller, and yet the reality of football today -- sometimes I think we can get lost in offensive and defensive production. It's team. You have to have offense and defensive coordinators and special teams coordinators that understand how we win is win in team football, complementary football.

I think that's one of the great things that it's been awesome to be a part of his growth journey even the last two years, to watch how he's handled games. There's going to be a time where we're going to have to win the game 9-7 and we're going to have to play to the defense, and there's going to be times where you've got to go win and you've got to win 43-42. We played Miami two years ago in the bowl game and had to win 43-42, and you've got to make the critical calls in the moment, and you've watched him really kind of mature in terms of who he's become as a play caller, great leader of people.

Iowa State offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser talks to the media during the university’s football media availability at Stark Performance Center. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

Campbell made QB Rocco Becht a priority

I think the one thing about Rocco is, I've always felt this about the quarterback position. I feel that the quarterback and the head football coach have to be tied at the hip. I feel like they have to be tied at the hip because their leadership is so critical to the entirety of the football program.

... Rocco has always been that for us. Tough, gritty character. I don't think any quarterback in college football coming back has won more times with the last possession of the game than what Rocco Becht has during his time as a starter. I think for him, what I believe Penn State football is: Integrity, character, class, excellence, grit, he embodies every one of those traits.

To me, I just felt like that was such a critical opportunity for him to finish his career with us and the start of Penn State football and to get somebody that I truly believed embodies what the excellence of this football program has stood for both on and off the field, and I think those things are critically important.

Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell celebrates with quarterback Rocco Becht (3) after a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bearcats. | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Campbell prioritized D'Anton Lynn as defensive coordinator

Honestly, the first name that came up was Coach Lynn. Obviously from talking to some people that I have great respect for to even in-house of some of our own coaches that had come with me, just felt like that was the No. 1 target for the style of defense we wanted to play, for somebody that understood Penn State football, that wanted to be here, that wanted to be a part of this program, that had a passion for Penn State. I felt like that was critical.

Obviously it took a while to get to where we got to, but Coach Lynn, for him to have to kind of financially give up some things to get here, to kind of come here with purpose and integrity, I don't know if I could be any more excited to be able to lead with him.

Him and [safeties] coach Deon Broomfield were together at the Houston Texans. We had hired Coach Broomfield, our safeties coach, from the Houston Texans to come back to Iowa State, which is where he was an alumnus of, and those guys had an incredible relationship, so that made me feel really good about it. I know Terry [Smith] and D'Anton had had a relationship prior to, so that made me feel really good about it.

I think from that point on, it was just a process of trying to get to, is this right for you, for your family, is this the right time? Schematically, I think we see the game very similarly. But I think most importantly, you talk about leadership, excellence, what do you stand for, do you believe in the development of 18- to 22-year-olds, how do you see us winning the game, can we be a great team together, and then I think all those things were no-brainers for us.

Penn State’s Matt Campbell says that, once he began his search for a defensive coordinator, his top candidate was D’Anton Lynn. pic.twitter.com/GOHfC6wg3Q

— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) February 4, 2026

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