New Penn State head coach Matt Campbell is wasting no time rebuilding the program in the mold of his former Iowa State team, bringing in a cadre of familiar faces. The influx of talent includes quarterback Rocco Becht, safety Marcus Neal, and tight end Benjamin Brahmer, all poised for starting roles. But Campbell’s prime Iowa State addition is his ace DB, and he has made it clear where he will play at Penn State in his final year of eligibility.

According to Penn State insider Joel Haas, incoming DB Jeremiah Cooper has “confirmed he’ll play at safety at Penn State.” The clarification was crucial since Cooper has played both as a cornerback and as a safety under Matt Campbell at Iowa State. Initially, the El Paso, Texas, native was recruited as a safety at Iowa State and excelled in that role.

Cooper came to Iowa State after being named to the 2020 El Paso Times All-City team. He made an immediate impact at Iowa State, and his production at safety steadily climbed from 32 tackles as a freshman to a career-high 48 in 2024, adding an impressive 10 pass breakups in 2023 alone. Everything was going according to Cooper’s plans.

Except in 2025, Matt Campbell deployed Cooper at cornerback. “He’s physical,” Campbell said about Cooper’s position change last year in August. “I thought he had a tremendous day. He’s got confidence, and he can tackle, and he’s a really good football player. He’s doing it for the betterment of the team, as selfless players we have in our football program.” After just four appearances, Cooper suffered a season-ending knee injury and finished his season with just 9 tackles and 3 pass breakups.

Cooper is in his last season of college football and will want to play in his comfort zone to bolster his NFL draft stock. Moreover, since the team already has several talented names to man the CB position, Cooper can easily excel at safety. The players include senior Audavion Collins, redshirt freshman Joseph Jahmir, senior Zion Tracy, and transfer acquisition Omarion Davis.

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Cooper’s move is just one part of a larger team overhaul, as Campbell is implementing sweeping changes to reshape the program’s culture from the ground up.

Matt Campbell is changing the culture at Penn State

Upon arriving at Penn State, Campbell quickly made some sweeping changes. The 46-year-old announced “accountability teams” in upcoming spring practices. The teams will be composed of around 8 players, and coaches will give competitive tasks and workouts off the field, including classroom attendance. Every infraction will result in a point deduction for the respective team. “Whatever team loses by the end of the week, you have to go to the facility and have to clean,” Penn State RB Quinton Martin Jr. said.

Apart from the crucial accountability step, Campbell also demonstrated his prowess in recruiting. The Massillon, Ohio, native kept 5-star offensive lineman Malachi Goodman at PSU, as he stayed influenced by O-line coach Ryan Clanton and Matt Campbell. “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.

Even though several PSU players transferred, mostly going to James Franklin’s Hokies, the new head coach, with help from associate head coach Terry Smith, managed to keep the roster stable. Because of their relationship with Smith, CBs Zion Tracy and Jahmir Joseph didn’t leave, and later Matt Campbell convinced them to stay for good. Nevertheless, some attrition occurred, and to offset it, the head coach has brought in 38 transfers.