Penn State Football Gets More High Praise, Including a Playoff Prediction

Rounding up the latest news and notes regarding the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Rocco Becht looks to throw a pass on the run during the Blue-White Spring Practice at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State makes news even in the offseason, and we're tracking all things Nittany Lions here. The latest: Matt Campbell is still decorating his office, Gavin McKenna likely will be a Toronto Maple Leaf and Penn State gets a fresh prediction for the College Football Playoff.

So let's get to it.

ESPN visits Penn State

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

ESPN's Jake Trotter spent some time recently in State College for a long read about Matt Campbell's first five months on the job. The story refreshes the themes of transition, acceptance and buy-in that Campbell and his players have discussed since February. The story's framing isn't just change; it's about positive change.

For example: ESPN goes into detail about those accountability teams Campbell created to track competitive tasks during winter workouts and into spring drills. Basically, players on the leadership council drafted teams to compete in everything from lifting metrics to punctuality at class and breakfast.

“If you miss class, that’s like minus 20. If you’re late to breakfast, that’s like minus 40," running back Quinton Martin Jr. said in February. "Everything you miss or you’re doing wrong, you take points off, and whatever team loses by the end of the week, you have to go to the facility and have to clean.”

Among the more interesting grace notes of Trotter's piece is that Campbell intends to reduce the square footage of his own office to create more for an adjoining conference room. That's a tangible example of Campbell's more global approach to coaching.

Gavin McKenna to Toronto?

Penn State's Gavin McKenna, left, answers a question during a press conference following a Big Ten hockey game against Michigan State at Beaver Stadium. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Penn State also gets front-facing ESPN play in hockey, where Gavin McKenna is the subject of an exceptional long-form piece by Emily Kaplan. The story traces McKenna's 2025 season with the Nittany Lions, during which he led the Big Ten in points per game and set multiple program records.

The story also sets the stage for the NHL Entry Draft in June, when McKenna is expected to be the first overall pick. Toronto won the lottery draw giving it the No. 1 pick of the draft. Kaplan's story all but assures that McKenna will go to the Maple Leafs. It also suggests that the pending misdemeanor assault charge against McKenna will not impact his draft status.
A pre-trial conference is scheduled for May 11.

"Those first two days [after the incident in late January] were some of the craziest days of my life," McKenna told ESPN. "Obviously, there was a big reaction to it and it got a bit blown out of proportion. But honestly, I think going through a little adversity at this time, it helps me, honestly. I think I've learned a lot from it. I've had a lot of people to lean on."

A playoff bid for Penn State?

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Carson Hansen (21) runs with the ball during the Penn State Blue-White Spring game at Beaver Stadium | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Everyone's favorite rankings, the post-spring guides, are doing their best to set high expectations for Penn State. It certainly happened last year, so let's do it again.

On3's Brett McMurphy thinks Penn State could be a playoff team in Campbell's first season, installing the Nittany Lions' at No. 11 in his post-spring bracket. McMurphy has Penn State as the field's last at-large team, visiting No. 6 Texas in the first round.

It's yet another post-spring vote of confidence for Penn State, which still has many questions to answer. Much of increased expectations are predicated on a perceived friendly 2026 schedule, though Penn State might prove to be the soft spot on other schedules. Campbell isn't letting the positive grades detour him from making his players confont the adversity he promises is coming.

Tributes to Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli

The life and legacy of Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli extends far beyond any one role.

Guided by compassion, rooted in humility, and driven by an unwavering commitment to everyone he served.#WeAre pic.twitter.com/7V0bUYIuiX

— Penn State Athletics (@GoPSUsports) May 5, 2026

Penn State re-released a video it had produced about Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli, its long-time director of athletic medicine who died May 4 at age 68. Sebastianelli helped change the way Penn State treats athletes on-site and was instrumental in the initial care Adam Talieferro received in 2000 after being temporarily paralyzed on the field at Ohio State.

Taliaferro said that, for Penn State football players, Sebastianelli was "much more than our doctor; he was family." He also posted this photo on social media of his family and Sebastianelli at Penn State's indoor practice facility.

💔💔 https://t.co/f7DVueIrMv

— Adam Taliaferro (@Tali43) May 5, 2026

Former Penn State defensive lineman Devon Still remembered Sebastianelli for guiding him through two major injuries to become an All-American and a second-round draft pick.

My freshman and sophomore years at Penn State, I suffered two major injuries: a torn ACL and a broken leg. All I kept hearing from people around me, and all I kept reading in the papers and blogs, was that players are never the same after injuries like those… pic.twitter.com/s2bjNG7uf0

— Devon Still (@devonjstill) May 6, 2026

You believed in me when it felt like the football world had given up on me. I’m forever grateful for you.

RIP Doc 🙏🏾 #PSULegend

— Devon Still (@devonjstill) May 6, 2026

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