Saquon Barkley Joins Matt Campbell at Penn State NIL Benefit in New Jersey

Fresh off the recruiting and camp circuit in State College, Penn State football coach Matt Campbell hits the road to New Jersey, on June 22 for the fifth annual "We Are ... at the Shore" fundraiser. The event has become a significant annual experience for the Penn State football program and its official NIL collective, Happy Valley United.

Campbell is making his first appearance at the event, which will be held on an earlier date this year at the Union League National Golf Course in Cape May Court House. Joining Campbell are associate head coach Terry Smith, quarterback Rocco Becht and other players from the Nittany Lions' 2026 roster.

Among the former players scheduled to attend are Saquon Barkley, whose Michael Ann & Saquon Barkley Hope Foundation has partnered with Happy Valley United and State Media as sponsors of the event. Penn State football fans also can meet former Nittany Lions Trace McSorley, Christian Hackenberg, Michael Mauti, Jordan Hill, Brandon Short, Blair Thomas and Grant Haley.

Jersey Shore, WE ARE Running It Back 🔥

Our Annual We Are at the Shore event is on June 22nd, and the lineup speaks for itself 👀🤫

A chance to meet one-on-one with Penn State greats, current players, and more all in one place — Don’t Miss This One 🤝 pic.twitter.com/tb3c1k07Yr
— State Media (@StateMediaPSU) June 12, 2026

Ticket prices start at $100 for the players meet-and-greet and $500 for the player event and the party. Young professional and VIP tickets packages are available as well.

Campbell recently attended HVU events in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia as part of his outreach to meet more Penn State football fans and donors. He also connects with Penn State lettermen at these events, which he made a priority of his introduction to the program.

Campbell organized Zoom calls with Penn State lettermen over the winter and invited groups to visit State College for spring practice weekends. He said the gatherings were important for building relationships with Penn State's lettermen as well as for his new roster to learn about the program's history.

"It goes back to curiosity," Campbell said. "Growing up knowing what Penn State football stood for, watching so many of these great players, and then getting here and hearing our guys talk about what it means to play here, and trying to connect the dots, both for our young men that were coming back from Penn State football to the young men that were coming in, is special.

"I thought it was really powerful, and so I just think the the nuggets of excellence that got shared with us, the personal experiences and the excellence to be able to hear it, not come from a third party, but hear from these humans that lived it, that want to be around, that want to be engaged, that want to be an asset and a tool to our players. I just thought it was priceless."

Penn State Nittany Lions football coach Matt Campbell looks on from the field during practice at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

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