Heading into 2025, Penn State desperately needed an upgrade to its wide receiver room, so when Koby Howard began to generate buzz in spring and during fall camp, much of the fanbase adopted him as the unexpected savior. Then, he played just 132 total snaps in the regular season and saw just five targets go his way.
It was a major disappointment among the most disappointing seasons in recent Penn State football history, and it, understandably, made many of those same fans trepidatious about buying into the renewed buzz surrounding Howard this offseason.
Then, in Week 1, it happened. Howard finally had his breakout. Though he played the third-most snaps among Penn State wide receivers, trailing veteran Iowa State transfer Chase Sowell and Brett Eskildsen, he led the way with seven targets and hauled in a team-high six catches for 161 yards and a touchdown.
Most fans have seemingly abandoned all caution when it comes to their expectations for Howard’s sophomore campaign. Even Rocco Becht said he was going to try to get him 1,000 yards at Big Ten Media Days. But if you’re reluctant to believe, or you’ve been burned one too many times and want to see more, Matt Campbell’s comments on Wednesday should give you confidence that Week 1 won’t be a blip on the radar.
Matt Campbell on Penn State wide receiver Koby Howard: "I think what Koby is doing is proving that he should be on the field no matter what the personnel is and at least have the right to be on it."
— Daniel Gallen (@danieljtgallen) September 9, 2026
Matt Campbell just gave Koby Howard the stamp of approval
One of the biggest questions I personally had about the possibility of Howard having a breakout year in 2026 was whether or not he’d be on the field enough to do it. Though he has good size at 5-foot-11, 203 pounds, he profiles as primarily a slot receiver in this Penn State offense, and with offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser, that’s not a particularly robust role.
Mouser loves to use multiple tight ends and has the personnel to do it wth Andrew Rappleyea, Benjamin Brahmer, and Gabe Burkle, who is expected to return from injury in Week 2 vs. Temple. So, if Howard is WR3 behind Sowell and Eskildsen, it was possible that TE2 would see more snaps each game than him.
Then, Howard went out and looked like the best wide receiver the Nittany Lions have against Marshall, and it seems he’s forced Campbell’s hand. The fact that Campbell believes that Howard deserves to see the field, whether Penn State is in 11-personnel and he’s working from the slot, or if it's playing 13-personnel and he’s the lone wide receiver on the field, is a massive development for his career and for this offense.
It’s only a matter of time before he’s WR1
Campbell didn’t come right out and say that Howard is wide receiver 1: he simply implied that he deserves to be in consideration. Now, there are positional aspects to the idea of a WR1, and Chase Sowell probably still makes the most sense as a true outside X-wide receiver for this offense. But how long will that be the case?
Howard is excellent underneath as a quick-game separator and yards-after-catch creator, but he also has excellent speed to stretch the field vertically and impressive body control to win at the catch point, even though he’s topping out at just 5-foot-11.
In 11-personnel looks, with all three wide receivers on the field, everything makes the most sense with Howard in the slot, Sowell at X, and Eskildsen as the Z. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that Sowell or Eskildsen are better outside receivers than Howard, more than he’s a better inside receiver than then.
After watching Week 1, Howard is probably the most difference-making, geometry-altering player on the Penn State offense. He shouldn’t come off the field, and it doesn’t sound like Campbell is going to take him off it.
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