Penn State football finally found its offensive identity once incoming Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin was fired. It stopped being something it wasn't and amplified the run game as it should've been since Week 1.
Running backs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, though, are seniors with no eligibility remaining after 2025. In addition to them, wide receiver transfers who were brought in to advance the pass game, Trebor Pena, Kyron Hudson, and Devonte Ross, are also moving on from the collegiate level.
Key offensive pieces are leaving due to eligibility, but incoming Nittany Lion head coach Matt Campbell doesn't have to worry about the seniors exiting. It's a new chapter for Penn State all-around, and if that means the run game is no longer the driving force of the offense, Campbell can handle it.
Matt Campbell has the ability that James Franklin didn't to develop wide receivers
Franklin and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki tried fitting the Nittany Lion offense into something it wasn't in 2025. Campbell has the ability to accomplish what they couldn't. Rather than dip into the Transfer Portal to advance the pass game, he has the track record to develop his wideout room into what Franklin couldn't.
Wide receivers Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel, and Xavier Hutchinson are proof.
Higgins played for Campbell from 2023-24 after spending two seasons as Eastern Kentucky. With the Cyclones, the wide receiver had 140 receptions for 2,166 yards and 15 touchdowns. He nearly eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in 2023 and logged his first 1,000-plus yard season in 2024.
In 2025, Houston drafted Higgins in the second round, 34th overall. So far with the Texans, he has 32 receptions for 359 yards and four scores.
Noel was the 79th selection of the 2025 NFL Draft, also going to Houston and was picked in the third round. He has 213 receiving yards and one touchdown on 20 catches.
Under Campbell for four seasons, 2021-24, Noel had 244 receptions for 2,851 yards and 18 touchdowns. Like Higgins, he logged his first 1,000-plus yard performance of his NCAA career as a senior. From freshman to senior year, Higgins improved season-by-season. He nearly doubled his receiving yard total from freshman to sophomore then sophomore to junior year without a drastic increase in receptions.
As for Hutchinson, he's another Houston Texan out of Iowa State. In 2023, the Texans selected him in the sixth round, going 205th overall. Over his three seasons, he has 46 catches for 510 yards and three touchdowns, all scores coming in 2025.
From 2020-22, Hutchinson played for Campbell. As a Cyclone, he had 254 receptions for 2,929 yards and 15 touchdowns. The slow progression year to year seen with Higgins and Noel isn't different for Hutchinson either. He had a 1,171-receiving yard performance in 2022 on 107 catches. The year before, he was under 20 yards away from hitting that 1,000-yard mark.
Developing wide receivers and keeping them on a steady, progressive track that doesn't stagnate is what Penn State's offense needs in this new era. Putting behind the inconsistencies from Franklin is key, and Campbell can be the guy to do it.