It’s a new era for the Penn State Nittany Lions, with Matt Campbell taking over as their next head coach. That means an era of adjustment, both for Campbell to Penn State and vice versa.
One key way to see how that transition is going is by looking at Penn State’s recruiting. There, Campbell has done an excellent job. According to Rivals, Penn State has the 16th-ranked class in the 2027 Cycle, which is currently being recruited, and the first for Campbell in Happy Valley. That class includes six four-star recruits so far.
There is a problem, though, and that’s Campbell’s struggles to recruit in the state of Pennsylvania. The highest-ranked player in the Class of 2027 from Pennsylvania is committed to Florida. In fact, in the Top 25 for recruits in the state, only four are committed to go to Penn State. Several others are still considering the Nittany Lions, but it’s also a sign that Campbell hasn’t yet developed those local ties in recruiting.
“Penn State can recruit New Jersey. It can recruit Maryland. It can stretch into the Midwest, the South and the West. It can take developmental fits from all over the country and still build a strong class,” Kyle Golik wrote of the phenomenon. “But Penn State cannot become ordinary in Pennsylvania. That is the difference. The concern is not that Campbell has failed as a recruiter. The concern is that the state’s top names are not automatically trending toward Happy Valley. In a loaded Pennsylvania cycle, that matters.”
The good news is the Class of 2027 is still in progress. More players are still going to commit to Penn State, while others will flip. So, Campbell does have some time here.
How Matt Campbell Recruited In-State While With the Iowa State Cyclones
GettyMatt Campbell with Iowa State
Running a Power Four program isn’t anything new for Matt Campbell. He has already done so for a decade with the Iowa State Cyclones.
As is the case at Penn State, it was important to win local recruiting battles. In the Class of 2025, the final class Campbell put together at Iowa State before leaving for Penn State right at National Signing Day for the Class of 2026, he landed three of the type five players in the state of Iowa, and six of the top 10. The year before that, he didn’t land a single top 10 recruit in the state. Going back one more season, it was four of the top 10 players in the state.
In other words, it’s been a mixed bag of late for Campbell when it comes to recruiting the state of the program he’s in. Penn State will want to see that improve now that he’s in Happy Valley.
Of course, there’s a major difference in the state of Iowa. Campbell was coaching at one of two Power Four programs in the state, with the Iowa Hawkeyes giving local players a Big Ten option. Penn State is Pennsylvania’s only P4 option. So, it was more of a battle in-state. On top of that, Pennsylvania has a much larger population and depth of high school talent, making it that much more important.
Matt Campbell Nearly Took the Detroit Lions Job
GettyMatt Campbell addressing an Iowa State crowd
Matt Campbell has long since been considered one of the top coaches in college football, doing more with less at Iowa State. That made teams like Penn State take notice of him. At one point, it also made the Detroit Lions take notice of him.
A recent report from ESPN shared that the Lions actually offered Campbell their head coaching job back in 2021. He accepted it before quickly backing down from that position, deciding to stay at Iowa State instead.
It’s impossible to say how he would have done in the NFL. However, it is an indicator of just how well-respected he is around the sport. It’s no wonder Penn State received so much praise for the hire.
Penn State Head Coach Matt Campbell Has to Fix This Element of His Recruiting