What We Learned About Penn State From the Newest Nittany Lions

Matt Campbell has introduced "accountability teams" and "We Are Wednesdays" since becoming the Nittany Lions' head coach.

Penn State Nittany Lions football coach Matt Campbell waves to the crowd during a Big Ten wrestling match against Nebraska. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

STATE COLLEGE | Penn State opened Beaver Stadium on Wednesday to introduce its new football team. More than 30 Nittany Lions, including many who played for Iowa State last season, participated in a winter media day to discuss their reshaped program under Matt Campbell.

Quarterback Rocco Becht was a highlight, as he detailed his rehab process from offseason shoulder surgery, but the new and returning Nittany Lions shared stories of how they have come together the past two months.

That included discussions about Campbell's accountability program, "We Are Wednesdays," Terry Smith's impact on the cornerbacks room and a 5-star freshman's decision to stay.

Creating 'accountability teams'

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

Campbell isn’t waiting until spring practice to install his culture template. The coach had his leadership group draft “accountability teams” of about eight players to track competitive tasks in winter workouts and off the field. That includes class attendance.

“If you miss class, that’s like minus 20. If you’re late to breakfast, that’s like minus 40," said running back Quinton Martin Jr., who returned from the 2025 team. "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.”

Martin was in the Lasch Football Building at 6 a.m. Wednesday cleaning forks, wiping floors and moving cases of water and Gatorade. It’s the second time his team lost, and he doesn’t want to lose again.

“I hate getting up that early, but I think it motivates a lot of people to do the right thing," Martin said. "[The cleaning is] just like little stuff, but like nerve-wracking things that will get under your skin because it’s like, what are we doing? But at the end of the day, it’s our fault.”

Added linebacker Tony Rojas, "[Campbell] just holds a lot of us accountable, especially leaders. And I think that's just one of the biggest things that we lacked a couple years, is accountability."

'We Are Wednesday'

Campbell started a "We Are Wednesday" program in which the accountability teams share results and players share personal stories. The coach also has shown videos detailing Penn State football history, including the "We Are" cheer's origin story.

The team recently watched the story of Wally Triplett, the late Nittany Lion who helped inspire the cheer. Most players were unfamiliar with how Triplett helped inspire the cheer.

"When I finally got to see how it came about, I thought it was such a powerful chant," said offensive lineman Vaea Ikakoula, who was among the Iowa State transfers. "It’s such a unifying chant."

"Coach Campbell's not forgetting the past," added returning lineman Dominic Rulli. "He wants us to embrace it, and wants to build on what we've had here."

Terry Smith’s loyalty kept cornerbacks from transferring

Penn State Nittany Lions interim head coach Terry Smith walks on the field prior to the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Cornerbacks Zion Tracy and Jahmir Joseph didn’t want to leave Penn State because of their connection with Terry Smith. The former interim head coach is back as associate head coach and cornerbacks coach and most of the position group.

“I kind of feel like he’s our uncle a little bit, so we all stayed together,” Tracy said. “It’s like the family is still here. It’s not like everybody split up and we are all over the place.”

Smith has a heavy influence on Penn State’s recruiting process, particularly at his position group. Returning with Tracy and Joseph were Daryus Dixson and Audavion Collins, both of whom played significant roles last season. Having that bond is special and is especially important to Joseph. 

“Me and Terry have a great relationship, … and him staying, it played a very huge part,” Joseph said about of his decision to return.

Smith has said he made retaining Penn State’s younger talent at the position, notably Joseph and Dixson, a priority for the defense.

“It just shows the loyalty that he has to me and the relationship that we have that he decided and wanted me to stay, and it meant a lot,” Joseph said. 

'I can bring it'

Iowa State Cyclones' wide receiver Brett Eskildsen (9) runs for a touchdown against Kansas at Jack Trice Stadium. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Meet Brett Eskildsen, the former Iowa State receiver who wants to introduce his speed. The 6-1, 200-pound wideout said he expects to be one of the fastest players on the offense.

"I'm fast, fast," he said.

Eskildsen ran time of 10.52 seconds in the 100-yard dash at Centennial High in Frisco, Texas, though that didn't get him to states. He has been running 40s in the 4.3- to 4.4-second range in college, which Becht appreciated.

Eskildsen was honorable mention All-Big 12 last season, when he caught 30 passes for 526 yards and five touchdowns for the Cyclones. He's coming off an injury that limited him late last season, which Becht said frustrated Eskildsen because "he wasn't able to show his full capabilities."

Speed, the quarterback said, is one of Eskildsen's top assets. The receiver agreed.

"I can bring it," Eskildsen said.

Why 5-star recruit Malachi Goodman stayed at Penn State

Penn State Nittany Lions offensive lineman Malachi Goodman during a warmup prior to the game against the Villanova Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Offensive lineman Malachi Goodman, the highest-ranked player of Penn State's 2025 recruiting class, didn’t see the field last season but opted to stay after meeting Campbell and line coach Ryan Clanton.

“I talked to the coaches and, you know, rankings in college, that stuff doesn’t matter anymore. I don’t believe in that stuff,” Goodman said. “You just come here to work every day, work hard and compete, just stay disciplined. I stayed mostly because of the development part. That’s what I love to see.”

Goodman, who was featured in a Paramount+ series about 5-star freshmen in the Big Ten, spent the 2025 season on the developmental squad facing players like Dani Dennis-Sutton. He said he never had a problem with redshirting. 

“People think of it as a bad thing, but I honestly think of it as an improvement,” Goodman said. “I was definitely using that as an opportunity to get better, hone my craft and my skill.”

He believes his technique improved last season as he adjusted to the pace of college football. During winter workouts, Goodman has focused on his nutrition goals with the new staff. 

“They do hone in on nutrition a lot, so I will say I am getting better and making that a real system, because I do eat but I don’t take in enough protein for my body,” Goodman said. “I need to start doing that and hone into what they’re telling me to do.”

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