James Franklin was fired last year after the Penn State administration became convinced that he was not the person who could get them through big games. But that doesn’t take anything away from the rebuild Franklin oversaw at Happy Valley. The new Penn State head coach, Matt Campbell, faces a similar challenge as Franklin when the latter was hired.

“I think Penn State’s a more difficult job than it was several years ago. I think Joe Paterno kept that thing going for so long,” Urban Meyer said on his July 29 Triple Option podcast. “But the population shifts; the reality is that Penn State’s a much tougher sell than it was. I still think it’s a phenomenal place. But there was a time that was a top-five job. I just think it’s right outside the top 10 now.”

The major factors that limited Penn State’s recruiting were its geographical isolation and a perceived ‘rural’ location. While major Big 10 programs are situated at some of the most important financial or regional centers, it requires a deliberate effort to visit PSU. Historically, recruits and their families from the South or the West Coast have been reluctant to visit the program without proper incentives.

Unlike states like Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, California, and Florida, Pennsylvania has always had a limited in-state pool of recruits. Even Joe Paterno had to recruit nationally rather than rely solely on the regional pipeline. That was also the case with James Franklin. His 2025 class had just 24% in-state players. Despite these obstacles, Franklin tackled the programs through his deep and decade-long ties in DC, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia. Matt Campbell, coming from the Midwest, now has a steep learning curve in that regard.

“I do,” Urban Meyer said when asked if it’s tougher to get recruits at PSU than Indiana. “You hear the stories about you have to fly into Pittsburgh, that small airport there. I’ve asked coaches there. And the facilities are okay. I think they’ve improved. I have not seen them recently. The mystique of Joe Paterno and Penn State and all that, the reality is that they have to go get kids from the south. You have to.”

Matt Campbell, after arriving on a $70 million contract, brought a wholly different evaluation staff than Franklin. While the former HC relied on his wide-ranging national recruiting network, Campbell approaches it through a ‘Moneyball’ lens. So, PSU won’t really offer a high volume of recruits now, but will target specific, underrated high school prospects.

“Do I think [NIL] is important? Absolutely. But I think the reality is that it cannot be priority No. 1,” Campbell said about his roster-building approach. Because of that philosophy, PSU, which had the top-ranked 2027 class in May, now ranks 21st. Prospects like Khalil Taylor and Gabe Jenkins chose other programs solely because of high-profile NIL deals. And according to reports, PSU was reluctant to match the offers.