When Penn State football head coach Matt Campbell was hired, he got straight to work retaining key pieces on the former Nittany Lion staff and bringing in talented coaches from Iowa State and other programs in the country.
While he didn't have a jaw-dropping hire like former head coach James Franklin had with defensive coordinator Jim Knowles the year prior, Campbell put together a well-rounded staff. Even after Noah Pauley stepped away to take a role with the Green Bay Packers and former Cyclone defensive coordinator Jon Heacock retired from coaching, Campbell targeted the right fits to replace them.
The defensive staff, in particular, headlined by new defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn earned some praise from former Penn State quarterback Todd Blackledge. He said that he's anxious to see what Campbell accomplishes with this staff, but stopped to talk about the Nittany Lion staff holistically as impressive.
"I think it's an excellent staff . . . and I'm curious to see just how it all works together this fall," Blackledge told Blue White Illustrated.
Todd Blackledge thinks that Matt Campbell has assembled an ACE staff. #PennStateFootball #NittanyLions pic.twitter.com/1eclmlJvjx
— Blue White Illustrated (@PennStateOn3) July 18, 2026
Former Penn State quarterback Todd Blackledge is impressed with Matt Campbell's staff
One of the key retentions in the offseason was associate head coach/cornerbacks coach Terry Smith who emerged as a top candidate for the head coach position after his interim stint in 2025. Smith was an immediate priority, and Campbell and athletic director Pat Kraft made it known that he was going to stay in Happy Valley.
Campbell also held onto special teams coordinator Justin Lustig, who Blackledge said is one of the best in the country. Lustig helped produce All-Big Ten players, long snapper Tyler Duzansky, kicker Ryan Barker, and kick returner Nicholas Singleton in his first season in this role at Penn State in 2024.
The defensive side of the ball features the most diverse coaching staff in terms of previous stops.
Safeties/pass game coordinator Deon Broomfield is the only one who followed Campbell to Happy Valley after coaching safeties at Iowa State for five years. Campbell also brought in defensive line/run game coordinator Ikaika Malloe from UCLA, edge rushers coach Christian Smith from Northwestern, and linebackers coach Tyson Veidt from Cincinnati. That group paired with Lynn from USC is least familiar with Campbell in comparison to the offense.
As Blackledge said, watching how this defensive staff works together this season will be interesting to watch. He doesn't have a Knowles kind of hire, but with how that panned out for the Nittany Lions in 2025, the clear No. 1 person for the job isn't always the right fit.
In a recent mic'd up video of Campbell and his team at practice, though, it showed his coaching both in terms of teaching players and his staff. Accountability and growth will be a huge part of this season, and it's not just from guys on the roster. How well this staff jives and works together will reflect Campbell's leadership as well.
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