Why Matt Campbell Is Making a Significant Defensive Change at Penn State

Matt Campbell is entering his first season as the head coach of Penn State but was quick to share his gratitude for the opportunity when he took the podium at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago.

“It's a great honor to be here, and I think it's proven in the modern era of the Big Ten in college football, this conference is the best in the country,” Campbell said. “I know it has prestigious academic institutions that go from coast to coast, storied football traditions that go down generations, and for me, I couldn't be more humbled and grateful to be here representing Penn State.”

Ahead of Penn State’s Sept. 5 season-opener against Marshall, Campbell talked about his plans for the Nittany Lions and the changes he’s implemented since taking the job. Here’s more on what Campbell said.

Defensive scheme adjustments

Penn State DE Max Granville is healthy again and made significant offseason strides, Matt Campbell said. pic.twitter.com/F6W53tlLGe
— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) July 28, 2026

During his time at Iowa State, Campbell mainly used a 3-3-5 defensive scheme, which featured one less defensive lineman and an extra defensive back. While he wants to maintain the versatility to run plays using that package, Campbell said Penn State’s defense will “start from a four-down front.”

“What do we want to make sure we have the ability to do?” Campbell asked himself. “I still think the ability to have multiplicity in what we do defensively is certainly critical, but maybe coming from it with more of a four-down front. But I still think those multiple variables are huge.”

A four-down front for the Nittany Lions will have four defensive linemen on the field, which is what they had under former head coach James Franklin. This offseason, Campbell and the new defensive staff worked to add size on the defensive line, landing commitments from four defensive tackle transfers who are listed at 310 pounds or more.

While Campbell highlighted two defensive staffers who were with him at Iowa State, linebackers coach Tyson Veidt and safeties coach Deon Broomfield, his former defensive coordinator Jon Heacock did not follow him to Happy Valley, opting to retire instead. This could have helped Campbell make the change to a four-down front, as the Big Ten is known for hard-nosed football in the trenches.

A 3-3-5 defensive scheme is what Campbell prioritized with the Cyclones, but he has used a four-man front before as the base defense.

“When we were at the University of Toledo, we were a four-down front that had some multiple variations,” Campbell said. “Really in our first two years at Iowa State, we started as a four-down front with some multiplicity before we got to what we evolved to at Iowa State over the last eight years.”

‘Building one team’

Penn State Nittany Lions football coach Matt Campbell speaks during Big Ten Media Days at Hilton Chicago. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Penn State’s roster saw plenty of changes throughout the offseason. In fact, 55 new players (including 40 transfers) signed with Penn State, while other key players remained on the roster.

“We keep talking about this devoted cause of building one team, a team that has great standards and expectations for themselves,” Campbell said. “A team that understands the value that nothing is guaranteed. We're not guaranteed in life our hopes and dreams, but we are going to have to earn it every single day.”

In addition to Campbell, the Penn State contingent at Big Ten Media Days featured quarterback Rocco Becht, offensive lineman Anthony Donkoh and linebacker Tony Rojas. While talking about those three players during his opening statement, Campbell mentioned Donkoh, who’s entering his fourth season with the Nittany Lions, before he spoke on Becht, who’s played for Campbell since 2022.

Despite all the changes, it appears the team is embracing the opportunity to be Nittany Lions.

“I still believe it's my responsibility to take young men to men, build great fathers, great husbands, great leaders,” Campbell said. “That's still my responsibility and one that I look forward to. At Penn State, we choose a culture to do what is hard rather than what is easy, and we want people who want something more than just winning football games.”

Plans to honor Penn State’s history

Campbell said he wants to honor the history of Penn State as the new head coach. During his opening statement, he even mentioned a phrase that Joe Paterno coined, “success with honor,” which highlights having a successful football program while balancing players getting an education.

“In building a team that understands this is bigger than us, we get an opportunity of a lifetime at one of the greatest football traditions to continue to build forward,” Campbell said. “With a team of young men just like this, we get the opportunity to pursue success with honor every single day within our football program, and we look forward to the great challenges in front of us.”

Last season, the Nittany Lions achieved their 950th all-time win despite a 7-6 year. Penn State’s program began in 1887 and has 13 undefeated seasons to go along with two national championships, most recently in 1986.

Campbell said one of the first aspects of Penn State he noticed was the passionate fanbase. He said he builds his program on “character, integrity, class, and excellence,” and he really appreciates the fanbase’s “wisdom around those values.”

“The history, the legacy we represent — it's deep,” Campbell said. “It's deep with great coaches. It's deep with great players, and certainly deep with tremendous and great teams, some of the best that have ever played in college football. It's an honor to build on those great successes and traditions of our past. I will tell you, we will honor the traditions of this great program.”

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