Did you ever wonder why Terry Smith got such strong support when he took over as interim coach after James Franklin’s firing? According to people inside the Nittany Lions program, it was because players finally tasted freedom, clarity, and got a coach who actually listened. Now, Matt Campbell has arrived from Iowa State with a toolbox full of those values (and more) that vanished somewhere along the way. And the staff and players are loving it.

“It has been refreshing for me personally, and from what I’m hearing [around the program]. Communication is clear. Expectations are straightforward,” a Nittany Lion member told Brad Kulp of Basic Blues Nation. “The culture values honesty, accountability, and opportunity. You know where you stand and what is expected to earn your role as a player.”

This assessment of these individuals tells you what was missing in James Franklin’s tenure. Even star safety King Mack shared the same sentiment publicly in December. He told reporters that Campbell “sees where we went wrong this year, and his job is to get it fixed as soon as possible.” These are players exhaling after holding their breath for months, maybe years.

The contrast between Campbell and Franklin is practical and lived. According to the same insiders, Franklin’s final season was marked by verbal abuse directed at his own staff, treating grown men “like little kids—worse than his players.” Favoritism dictated playing time more than production. NIL money was distributed based on tenure rather than performance, breeding resentment in the locker room. 

Young five-star recruits who’d been promised opportunities sat on benches while older, less effective players got extended leashes. Meanwhile, Campbell built Iowa State into a Big 12 power through an opposite approach. Former Cyclone Allen Lazard remembered Campbell’s arrival in Ames: “They immediately changed the culture from day one. They required new standards, new expectations, and held us to a way higher level of accountability.” Campbell emphasizes “winning in the margins.” These are the little things that separate good from great.

Campbell inherited a gutted program. But he’s rewiring it slowly. He brought more than 50 new players to Happy Valley. It includes many of his former Iowa State standouts. He also assembled an offensive staff composed entirely of coaches who worked with him in Ames. The continuity matters. At his introductory press conference, Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft declared, “Our fans deserve a team that plays with fire, passion, and purpose, and Matt Campbell delivers that.” 

The story of Happy Valley becoming a place where young men develop rather than deteriorate is still being written. But for the first time in a long time, the staff and the players believe it’s possible.

Matt Campbell’s grind to the rescue

The moment Matt Campbell landed in Happy Valley, he picked up the phone and called Ames, Iowa. By the time the dust settled on transfer portal season, Penn State had added 39 transfers, with more than half of them following Campbell from Iowa State. Quarterback Rocco Becht committed to Penn State specifically to reunite with Campbell and his old staff with offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser and quarterbacks coach Jake Waters. 

“To be in the same system over the past two years and to have that again, it’s something pretty important to me,” Becht told ESPN. He brought his favorite targets with him: tight ends Benjamin Brahmer and Gabe Burkle, wide receivers Brett Eskildsen and Chase Sowell, and running back Carson Hansen. 

On defense, Campbell raided Iowa State’s linebacker room completely. He brought Caleb Bacon, Cael Brezina, and Kooper Ebel, along with defensive backs Marcus Neal Jr. and Jeremiah Cooper, plus defensive lineman Ikenna Ezeogu. At least nine players flipped their commitments from the Cyclones to the Nittany Lions after Campbell’s departure, including high school prospects who’d never considered Penn State before their coach made the move. 

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They were believers in Campbell’s system. These players understood the expectations before they ever set foot in Beaver Stadium. Becht said it himself. “To bring them over and blend in Penn State culture and bring what we had at Iowa State is something I’m really excited for.” It’s a gamble, sure. But when you’re rebuilding a program, you don’t bet on strangers. You bet on family.