Matt Campbell has never recruited elite talent to Iowa State. The 10-year head coach of the Cyclones, instead, mastered the art of developing three-stars into Power Conference starters and NFL prospects.
Now that he’s at Penn State, Campbell will undoubtedly begin to attract four and five-star recruits, but before he can assemble a recruiting class of his own, he may need to put his developmental chops to work on some of James Franklin’s former blue-chippers.
Penn State’s roster is in complete flux through the transition, so it’s entirely unclear who will stay, who will go, and how heavily Campbell will rely on the transfer portal to build his 2026 Nittany Lion team. However, as things stand right now, these four former blue-chip recruits look like candidates for a potential breakout under the new coaching staff.
Daryus Dixson already had his breakout as Penn State’s top-ranked 2025 cornerback recruit, but Joseph still has tantalizing potential. Joseph was the fourth-highest-ranked recruit in James Franklin’s final recruiting class, but he appeared in just three games, retaining his year of eligibility.
Campbell has routinely turned three-star talent into NFL prospects, so it’ll be interesting to see what he and his staff can do with four-stars like Joseph, who, presumably, have more impressive physical tools.
Penn State has struggled to develop the wide receiver position, but, despite not recruiting at an elite level at Iowa State, Campbell has a track record of success. Matt Outten was Penn State’s highest-ranked wide receiver recruit in the 2025 class, but Howard saw the most playing time as a true freshman, appearing in eight games and playing 132 offensive snaps.
Howard caught all five of his targets for 99 yards, nearly a 20-yard average. He has the speed to threaten defenses vertically, which is important in offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser’s pro-style offense.
Campbell is bringing his safeties coach, Deon Broomfield, with him from Iowa State, which is great news for the Nittany Lions because Broomfield did an excellent job in Ames. His latest developmental story is sophomore safety Marcus Neal Jr., who finished the year with 77 total tackles, 3 pass breakups, two interceptions, and a forced fumble.
Neal could be coming to Happy Valley with Campbell and Broomfield, but if Lane stays and finds his way into the defensive back rotation, he could have a breakout junior season in Happy Valley. Lane played 224 snaps as a true sophomore in 2025.
There were recruiting services that had Cooper Cousins ranked as a five-star in the 2024 class, and Franklin was confident enough in his abilities to burn his redshirt that season. However, with so much veteran talent returning for 2025, Cousins struggled to see the field.
He has the versatility to play all five positions along the line, but he only played 99 total offensive snaps in 2025, primarily splitting time between left and right guard. There’s a chance that four of Penn State’s five starters up front leave for the NFL Draft, so Cousins has a chance to be a foundational piece for new offensive line coach Ryan Clanton.