3 burning questions Penn State fans would love Matt Campbell to answer at Big Ten Media Days

After 10 years in the Big 12 and a few in the MAC before that, Matt Campbell will take the podium at Big Ten Media Days for the first time on Tuesday in Chicago. 

The first-year head coach of the Nittany Lions is set to speak at Noon ET alongside his quarterback, Rocco Becht, Anthony Donkoh, and Tony Rojas. Penn State is No. 3 in the Tuesday lineup behind Illinois and Iowa. 

It will be the first opportunity in a little while for the media to talk with Campbell after a busy offseason. So, these are the questions I’d like to hear him answer on Tuesday. 

3. Is the roster closer to 100 percent after an injury-riddled spring?

Penn State wasn’t just facing the challenge of integrating 39 incoming transfers this spring; Campbell also had to manage a roster that was dealing with key injuries all over the place. 

For one, Becht missed most of the spring recovering from offseason surgery on his non-throwing shoulder. Backup QB Alex Manske also missed the spring while top wide receivers Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen were limited. Donkoh, Rojas, tight end Andrew Rappleya, and safety Jeremiah Cooper were all out. 

Conservatively, that’s over a quarter of Penn State’s offensive and defensive starters missing time. That’s manageable in the spring. In the fall, it’s potentially disastrous. So, injury updates will be a key thing to watch out for tomorrow. 

2. How far along is D’Anton Lynn’s defensive installation?

With Taylor Mouser, Rocco Becht, and Becht’s five leading target-getters from last season all coming from Ames to Happy Valley, the offense is a pretty known commodity for Penn State. It’s just a matter of how well it translates to the Big Ten, and that question can’t be answered until they take the field. 

The defense, though, is a much bigger question mark, so we could use a status report. Initially, it appeared that Campbell’s longtime DC Jon Heacock was coming to Penn State. Instead, he opted to retire. So, rather than importing much of his defensive personnel to run Heacock’s 3-3-5 scheme, Campbell hired Lynn, a former Nittany Lion, to run his 4-2-5. 

Essentially, Penn State is patching together much of the Iowa State secondary with the Penn State defensive front. The linebacker group is a solid mix. How this group meshes together, all running a new scheme after Jim Knowles failed to integrate his complicated scheme last offseason, is the biggest on-field question facing this team. 

Reports were that Lynn was taking things slow in the spring. That could mean it’s a very busy fall camp for the defense. Whatever insight Campbell can provide will be crucial. 

1. What’s the plan to fix in-state recruiting?

It’s pretty much unanimous that the most frustrating part of Campbell’s first offseason at Penn State was the lack of in-state recruiting success. Flips and late losses hurt the class overall, but at No. 20 in the country, it’s in a fine spot for a coach known primarily as a developer, not a recruiter. 

The best in PA, though, have been leaving PA. Five-stars Maxwell Hiller and Kemon Spell would’ve been nearly impossible to land amid a coaching change, though Hiller did end up at Florida under first-year head coach Jon Sumrall. Still, beyond those two, Penn State has just one commit among the top 15 players in the state and two in the top 20, thanks to Ryan Robbins’ recent rise. 

Khalil Taylor picking Nebraska over Penn State was the biggest blow and will become a major sticking point for fans if Campbell can’t turn his in-state efforts around. He’s in a much better spot in 2028 with James Armstrong and Deonte Flemings Jr. committed, but I’d still love to hear Campbell’s perspective on his in-state recruiting woes and the steps to correct them.

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