For Matt Campbell, the offseason challenges are coming fast, and the latest one could come from a familiar face looking to raid his coaching staff.

On3’s Chris Low has already hinted that Tennessee is aiming to hire a couple of defensive coaching staff members. While Knowles took over the DC role, Low named PSU’s co-DC & safeties coach, Anthony Poindexter, as a potential name to land on Tennessee’s coaching staff.

“Jim was told he’ll have a couple of hires,” said Chris Low on the Dec. 14 episode of Rocky Top Insider’s The RTI Low-Down. “So I think you’re going to see some more changes on that defensive staff. I mean, Anthony Poindexter is a guy who coached in the back end at Penn State, safeties. He was a great football player at Virginia. I think he’s a guy that you may see, at some point, pop up on UT’s staff.”

Poindexter has been on the Nittany Lions coaching staff since 2021, handling both the Co-DC and safeties coaching role. He was supposed to become Penn State’s DC before Jim Knowles arrived at Happy Valley. Despite contention, he was fully on board. 

They made big plans to make Penn State the No. 1 defense in the country over the years, but Knowles’ release put a full stop. While safety is a crucial part of Knowles’ defense and to maintain continuity, Poindexter could be the ideal target for the Volunteers.

If not Poindexter, Ohio State’s safeties coach & pass game coordinator Matt Guerrieri could be the possible target. It is important to note that Guerrieri worked with Knowles at Duke, Oklahoma State, and Ohio State.

Though there’s an option for Knowles at Ohio State, Matt Campbell cannot take it lite, as Poindexter has a history of developing some big stars, including Ji’Ayir Brown and Jaylen Reed.

PSU’s Matt Campbell faces multiple challenges

While the Nittany Lions undergo significant staff changes under the new HC Matt Campbell, there are multiple things that the coach has to keep an eye on at the same time. With the Pinstripe Bowl ahead on Dec. 27, against Clemson, decisions loom over player participation, as four seniors have opted out of the postseason.

On the other hand, the transfer portal is also heating up, with just two weeks for the window to open. The coach has to plan the roster, particularly among quarterbacks. At the same time,  the recruiting efforts are in full swing, with updates expected following the regular season. 

Two players have already announced their entry to the transfer portal, and to retain the rest of the key recruits in the roster, the coaching staff should be locked in. All these put pressure right on Matt Campbell, as he has to balance between rebuilding the coaching staff, preparing for the Bowl game, planning player retention, and navigating transfer opportunities, all in this short period. 

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