This Week in Penn State Football: How NIL Shaped the 2027 Recruiting Class

Examining the role NIL has played in Matt Campbell's 2027 recruiting process.

Penn State Nittany Lons coach Matt Campbell, left, shakes hands with Athletic Director Pat Kraft during a press conference at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When one door closes, another opens. Farewell World Cup, welcome back college football. Penn State is less than 50 days from its Sept. 5 opener against Marshall and just a few weeks from opening its first training camp under head coach Matt Campbell.

So enjoy your last week off, Penn State coaching staff, because Big Ten Media Days are a week away. Until then, we're reflecting on Penn State's 2027 recruiting class, the players who transferred and a potential milestone for Beaver Stadium.

Miss any Penn State football news this week? No problem. Catch up with our Penn State week in review.

How Penn State is spending its recruiting dollars

Penn State Nittany Lions football coach Matt Campbell, left, poses for a photo with Athletic Director Pat Kraft during a press conference at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

During the lengthy coaching search, Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft promised that his football coach would have "elite" resources, which reportedly ran to $30 million for the roster. Some fans believed that would funnel to recruiting as well, allowing Penn State to be a prime buyer in the 2027 class.

Which hasn't exactly happened, for multiple reasons. As Ryan Snyder, recruiting analyst for Blue-White Illustrated, said in an engaging interview, Penn State has a top-20 NIL budget nationally, competitive but not certainly not yet enough to make huge offers to high school prospects.

With the nation's 21st-ranked recruiting class, according to Rivals, Penn State has slipped recently while losing on some top targets. Should fans be worried?

“It depends on what your expectations are and how realistic they are,” Snyder said. “Maybe most importantly, they came into a situation where Penn State went a long period of time for a coaching search, and it hurt as far as regionally. And so then you bring in this staff that doesn't have those regional ties, and it's going to be very hard to make up the difference in that quick of a time.”

One other point to contemplate: Campbell has called cash critical but not the defining characteristic of his recruiting pitch. He'll pay for talent within an established budget, so the constraints largely will be self-imposed.

Penn State is different than Iowa State, which Campbell has acknowledged, and he'll expand that strategy. But Campbell appears comfortable with the offers he's making to high school players, and if one takes a bigger offer elsewhere, he's also comfortable moving on.

Where are they now?

Tennessee Volunteers linebacker Amare Campbell goes through spring football practice. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

We've covered the important retention work Campbell and his staff did this offseason. Multiple players will have key roles on the 2026 depth chart. But what about those who left? As training camps approach, we took a look at the Nittany Lions who transferred.

Yes, there were plenty. A total of 49 players transferred from the program after last season, all of whom have found homes elsewhere. The biggest number went to Virginia Tech, obviously. Twelve former Nittany Lions are on James Franklin's roster, including likely starters Ethan Grunkemeyer and Luke Reynolds.

Tennessee picked up four Penn State players, all of whom play defense, though one (Chaz Coleman) no longer is on the roster. Temple also got a couple Nittany Lions, including quarterback Jaxon Smolik, who likely will start against Penn State on Sept. 12 at Lincoln Financial Field.

The list is notable for the range of programs players chose, from FBS to Division II. We broke out the players by positions on offense and defense to offer a clearer look at where Penn State faced the most offseason portal challenges.

109,000 in Beaver Stadium this season?

Penn State Nittany Lions fans are seen during the first half of a White Out game against the Oregon Ducks at Beaver Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When he gets rolling, Kraft can spill some secrets. But is this one legit? Could Beaver Stadium actually wedge 109,000 people into its still-being-renovated crevices this season?

Kraft suggested this in an interview with Audrey Snyder of Inside the Lions, which the ESPN College GameDay podcast picked up. It's certainly possible if Penn State builds temporary stands on the stadium's east side again and the west bleachers are ready, which they should be for the Big Ten schedule.

Even if Penn State gets above 108,000, that would be the nation's highest stadium capacity, surpassing Michigan Stadium (which the Wolverines will love). More intriguing: Will Beaver Stadium's official capacity go up, and pass Michigan's, once the $700 million renovation is complete in 2027?

More good Penn State reads

Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Audavion Collins prepares to compete in a medicine ball toss during the 23rd annual Lift for Life at Holuba Hall. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Penn State's 2026 roster looks complete, as the final members of the 2026 recruiting class have enrolled and joined the program. Among them is a defensive end who was a "hidden gem" of Campbell's 2026 class at Iowa State and followed the coach in State College.

Penn State landed an interesting 2027 commit from offensive lineman Oscar Webersink. He's a 6-8 lineman from Sweden with plenty of upside who needs time to learn the game.

What will decide Penn State's success or failure this season? We identified the strengths and weaknesses, three of each.

From the wrestling offseason, Cael Sanderson has a few weight-class battles to watch, even on a team that returns so much talent.

And Penn State football fans can make a weekend of it in Philadelphia when the Nittany Lions visit Temple. The night before, on Sept. 11, the Penn State women's volleyball team will face Stanford at the Palestra as part of the venue's 100th anniversary season.

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