Matt Campbell is already fighting to resurrect Penn State’s 2026 recruiting class

Without a head coach in place, Penn State limped to an embarrassing Early National Signing period with just two commits putting pen to paper. However, newly installed head coach Matt Campbell is fighting to bring one of his Iowa State signees to Happy Valley and resurrect Penn State’s lifeless 2026 class. 

While he may not be the only Iowa State commit Campbell eventually targets, he’s reportedly starting with three-star safety Bryson Williams, who is also being heavily pursued by Vanderbilt. The Omaha, Nebraska native is the 81st-ranked safety in the country and the 905th player overall according to 247Sports Composite. 

Penn State and Vanderbilt battling for former Iowa State signee, 3-star safety Bryson Williams

Since Campbell left for Happy Valley, Williams has de-committed from the Cyclones, despite signing in the early signing period. He is now free to either follow Campbell to Happy Valley or be swayed by Vanderbilt and its newfound stash of NIL resources. 

Campbell has rarely waded into the four and five-star waters over his 10-year tenure at Iowa State. So, while Williams is a three-star recruit that he’s familiar with, a battle with Vanderbilt, which sits at No. 30 in the country after flipping five-star quarterback Jared Curtis away from Georgia, will be a nice opportunity for him to prove himself as a recruiter. 

Unlike Penn State’s class, which crumbled after James Franklin’s firing, Iowa State, at least so far, has kept its signing class largely intact as it transitions to new head coach Jimmy Rogers. The Cyclones still have 21 players in their 52nd-ranked recruiting class. 

While a 52nd-ranked class isn’t up to Penn State’s standards, it would be a massive improvement on No. 155, where Penn State’s two-player class of four-star quarterback Peyton Falzone and four-star edge rusher Jackson Ford currently resides. Adding Williams and any other Iowa State commits that he can pry away from Ames will be a huge step in the right direction for Penn State. 

However, regardless of what Campbell does to salvage the 2026 class, it will be a lost cycle for Penn State. That will force Campbell to rely heavily on the transfer portal, at least for Year 1 of his tenure, which will be a change. Campbell has always relied on high school recruiting and long-term development to build his teams at Iowa State, and heading into 2027, that’s what should be expected for Penn State.