While Penn State’s new era under Matt Campbell is just beginning, an old face is providing a much-needed dose of stability. Trace McSorley, a former Nittany Lion, is expected to be retained by new Penn State head coach Matt Campbell. With quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien following James Franklin to Virginia Tech, there is now a lot of room for him to move up. QB Ethan Grunkemeyer discussed how this unexpected transition has actually felt inside the QB room.

“You know he’s done a great job,” Grunkemeyer stated. “Obviously, stepping into that quarterback coach role for this bowl game. He’s taking full advantage of it. We’ve met a couple of times, and I think he’s doing a really good job of kind of keeping things steady and adding in what he thinks and his expertise from playing in the NFL and playing here at a high level. So I think it’s been good these past couple of weeks.”

For the Pinstripe Bowl against Clemson, Trace McSorley is the guy steering the room. With quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien leaving, there was speculation that Trace may follow James Franklin’s path to Blacksburg.

Before making his way through the NFL with six different teams, he once led Penn State to a Big Ten championship in 2016, accumulating almost 10,000 passing yards and becoming one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in program history.

His presence within the facility has been strategic for a long time. The message was obvious when he was appointed by James Franklin as assistant quarterbacks coach. Franklin stated at the time, “He’s a special guy to Penn State, our history, and our tradition.” O’Brien welcomed him, saying, “I’m the luckiest quarterbacks coach in the country…when the new guy’s on the wall, you’ve got a good job.”

O’Brien repeatedly stressed that the room functioned without ego. “Our job is to help those guys get better,” he explained. “Anything that Trace can add, which is a lot, we’re going to use.” Even as O’Brien exits, that philosophy still echoes.

And McSorley knows chaos and transitions as well as anyone at Penn State. That’s exactly why his presence right now feels bigger than ever. Yet while Trace McSorley’s return has brought calm and familiarity to one corner of the building, the rest of Campbell’s operation is moving in the opposite direction.

Matt Campbell’s Penn State reset hits early turbulence

For Campbell, this isn’t how the opening chapter was supposed to read. He is witnessing old pillars fall away before the foundation is even laid. DL coach Deion Barnes already knew Penn State, so losing him to South Carolina hurts on a deeper level.

The timing makes it sting even more. Campbell leaned on his connections to Iowa State in the hopes of stability, but Jon Heacock’s retirement destroyed the defensive blueprint he trusted the most. Heacock was the architect and the steady hand that elevated the 3-3-5. Now, suddenly, Campbell is improvising without him.

“I’m so thankful, grateful, and blessed to have worked alongside some of the finest players, support staff members, and coaches in America,” Heacock wrote in a post. “I’m certainly thankful and grateful that God chose me to be the defensive coordinator at Iowa State University for 10 years. Ames, Iowa State, the team, and Cyclone Nation: Man, we all did some special stuff together! Thanks to you all!”

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That’s what makes the D’Anton Lynn pursuit feel so desperate and so complicated at the same time. On paper, he seems to fit the criteria of NFL polish, Penn State history, and recruiting credentials. However, these days, college football is more about money. Penn State’s finances aren’t as flexible as fans may think, given Campbell’s enormous deal, the reconstruction of Beaver Stadium, and assistant salary hikes.

Now Campbell is left juggling urgency and patience. This isn’t Iowa State anymore, where time and continuity were luxuries he built over the years. Campbell’s vision may still be intact, but the path to executing it is getting bumpier week by week.