Although NIL money gives players a way to buy luxury, some Penn State players decided to use it for a good cause. They donated their NIL money for a 46-hour dance marathon, and that pushed their 2026 THON Weekend’s fund to a record amount, surpassing last year’s.

According to Barstool Sports’ Connor Griffin’s Sunday report, Penn State players were able to raise $18.8 million to support childhood cancer patients who are fighting their deadly disease.

In 2025, they had raised $17.7 million, and comparing that to this year’s amount, it’s increased by over a million. That amount rose not only because of the players’ NIL donations but also because the first-year head coach, Matt Campbell, vowed he would double the amount the players raised. That makes this year’s THON Weekend more special, and that only shows Campbell has already embraced the THON culture of Penn State.

Even ahead of Saturday’s pep rally, the coach fired up the THON crowd, saying, “This is the power of Penn State.”

Starting in 1977, this cultural event is now in its 54th year, and this is a collective effort from the PSU staff and approximately 16,500 student volunteers who raised funds. Their only purpose is to provide support to Four Diamonds patients at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital and their families. To date, Penn State has raised more than $254 million to serve this philanthropic effort.

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In this year’s event nearly 700 dancers participated, keeping the theme, ‘Love Leads Forward,’ intact. In that scenario, Campbell’s gratitude for the support he sees in his first experience of this THON culture only reflects the strong traditions present at Happy Valley.

“I love THON and what you guys do here. What you all are doing here is what makes this university the best university in the country,” stated assistant quarterback coach Trace McSorley, who introduced Campbell to the THON crowd. “I know I’m biased, but what we do here is unmatched across the country.”

It was not only the old B1G title-winning QB, but also Penn State’s established OL Cooper Cousins who admitted the power of THON. “It’s huge, but it’s something special that not a lot of other places have, and I’m thankful that I’ve got to be a part of it over these past couple of years,” said Cousins. “I think any time you get to make a difference on kids and impact their lives, you should just automatically take that opportunity.”

Although before the arrival of Penn State’s 17th coach, Matt Campbell, this culture was there. But now a bit of a shift happened, and Cousins’ words clearly reflect that.

Penn State set the bar high when it comes to culture

In 2025, Penn State’s THON event supported more than 4800 families. This culture of giving back has been there for nearly 49 years, but with Matt Campbell’s arrival, it reached another level.

“The culture here that’s in place, the new culture that’s here with [Campbell], has been outstanding,” said Cousins. “We’re taking it so serious this year. Our team has started their own fundraiser.”

For the last two months, Penn State players gathered every Tuesday for charitable activities, like packing food for needy children, then going to local schools to read and perform talent shows for fundraising, as per the Penn State OL.

“We have the capability to stick up for something bigger than ourselves right now,” added Cousins.

Now, with this kind of culture and Matt Campbell’s confidence to end Penn State’s long-standing drought of winning a national title, the Lions seem to be heading in the right direction this season.