On Wednesday, the media got a chance to hear from much of Matt Campbell’s Penn State staff for his inaugural season as the Nittany Lions’ head coach. That included many of the assistants who followed him from Ames to Happy Valley.
In many ways, Campbell has turned Penn State into Iowa State East, and the influx of a coaching staff and 23 incoming transfers from last year’s Cyclones roster, which went 8-4 in the Big 12, has thrown up some red flags for Penn State fans. How is that team expected to compete for the Big Ten title just a year later? Well, offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser, who spent a decade at Iowa State with Campbell, had the answer.
“We’re not Iowa State anymore, so don’t come here and expect anything,” was the message Mouser shared with the players who followed him and Campbell to Penn State and relayed to the media on Wednesday.
Penn State offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser said everyone who came over from the Cyclones has to earn everything.
— Lexie Linderman (@lexielinderman) February 4, 2026
“We’re not Iowa State anymore, so don't come here and expect anything.” pic.twitter.com/ZUhPqlE2rk
Taylor Mouser didn’t guarantee Iowa State transfers starting spots at Penn State
Obviously, it’s not the entire Iowa State team from last season that will be taking the field at Beaver Stadium on September 5, 2026. Still, there will be plenty of former Cyclones in prominent roles, and that’s not a bad thing.
Rocco Becht will enter next season as the most experienced starting quarterback in the country with 39 career starts under his belt, all in Mouser’s offense. He may not have been guaranteed the starting spot when he arrived in Happy Valley, but with an inexperienced quarterback room that includes two incoming freshmen, a redshirt freshman Iowa State transfer, and a DIII transfer, it won’t be hard for Becht to win the job.
Elsewhere, the competition could be quite a bit more fierce for starting reps. And that’s a good thing because this team isn’t an 8-4 Iowa State team, it's most of the best parts of that team stitched together with other transfers and a few holdovers from Franklin’s 2025 roster. With the soft schedule that Penn State has next season, that roster should be good enough to contend for a College Football Playoff spot.
Campbell is going to put the best 22 on the field, whether they were Iowa State players or not. A lot of those players will be former Cyclones, but open competition is the right tone to set for the program and will pay dividends in the long run as Campbell looks to level up into the national title conversation.