Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541990
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M recruiting and high school relations for two seasons. Campbell later promoted him to director of player personnel before giving him the title of assistant AD/player personnel, which is another way of saying program general manager, in 2023. He was approached by several schools during his tenure and is respected in the recruiting world. "I think his off-field guy, Derek Hood- jer, is one of the best," Rivals director of recruiting Steve Wiltfong told BWI. "He's one of the catalysts to why Iowa State has been consistent in who they are as a program." Slattenow, a former student assistant under Campbell, was elevated to full- time status and served as the program's director of player personnel. He assisted in scouting and evaluating prospects and was active in helping to run the Cy- clones' summer camps. His title is still to be determined at Penn State. Hillmann's arrival signals a change in PSU's strength and conditioning pro- gram. With Chuck Losey set to join James Franklin at Virginia Tech, Hill- mann and another Iowa State expat, Reid Kagy, will focus on strength, condition- ing and nutrition. Other staffers arriving from Iowa State include offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser, offensive line coach Ryan Clan- ton and secondary coach Deon Broom- field. Penn State coaches who will be mov- ing on include defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, running backs coach Stan Drayton, quarterbacks coach Danny O'Brien and tight ends coach Ty Howle. O'Brien and Howle are both headed to Virginia Tech. Knowles is bound for Ten- nessee and Drayton for South Carolina. Campbell Details Portal Approach After an early signing period in which Penn State landed only two recruits, Matt Campbell and his staff have no choice but to be aggressive in the transfer portal once it opens on Jan. 2. When asked about those efforts at his introductory news conference, Campbell made it clear that he's ready for the chal- lenge and will draw on his past experi- ence to get the right players into the pro- gram. He cited two portal acquisitions who developed into draft-worthy pros- pects during their time at Iowa State: wide receiver Jayden Higgins and offen- sive tackle Jalen Travis, both of whom are currently NFL rookies. Higgins was chosen by Houston early in the second round of last April's draft, while Travis went in the fourth round to Indianapolis. "The transfer portal has become a unique advantage, and sometimes it can be a disadvantage," Campbell said. "But I think if you look at our history the last couple of years, Jayden Higgins was maybe the 40th-ranked transfer portal guy and [went on to be the fourth] re- ceiver taken in the draft last year. "You go to offensive tackle Jalen Tra- vis, who was drafted by the Colts. He was [the 40th-ranked tackle] in the trans- fer portal, and he was the first transfer portal tackle taken. We have a process. We know what we're looking for in the transfer portal. We're going to have to continue to use that to supplement our football team." During Campbell's time at Iowa State, his transfer portal history is very similar to what we saw under James Franklin in recent years. The Cyclones added an average of only seven players the past three years. That points to high school recruiting still being the priority for Penn State moving forward. Campbell said he likes the idea of re- cruiting the Mid-Atlantic region. "I think one of the great reasons for being here is … the excellence of high school football in a six- to eight-hour radius," he said. "Everything will start with building [around] high school foot- ball and continuing to do a great job in this state and our surrounding states. Nobody is going to attack more than us." Whether the players arrive via the portal or from the high school ranks, de- velopment remains the key. Campbell and his staff saw 15 players selected in the NFL Draft during their tenure, in- cluding three top-80 picks this year. "Nobody will be better at developing our student-athletes and our high school football players than us. We've proven that every step of the way," Campbell said. "The flash of the stars, that's cool on signing day, but winning games on Saturday is what we're going to be all about. That's development." — Ryan Snyder Penn State Releases Terms Of Coach's Contract Matt Campbell's appointment as head coach became official on Dec. 8 when the trustees' Committee on Equity and Human Resources voted to approve his eight-year deal. The contract includes $70.5 million in guaranteed money over eight years, plus a $1 million annual retention bonus. Camp- bell will be paid $8 million in 2026, and the pact's guaranteed money increases annually. He'll get $250,000 raises in 2027 and '28, followed by a $500,000 raise in 2029 and a $250,000 boost in 2031. His guaranteed pay the last three years of the deal will be $9.25 million. Penn State will provide an automatic one-year extension for making the Col- lege Football Playoff and a two-year ex- tension for winning the national cham- pionship. The deal also includes incentives for being named National Coach of the Year ($150,000) and Big Ten Coach of the Year ($100,000), winning the confer- ence championship game ($350,000) and appearing in a non-CFP bowl game ($200,000). If the Lions reach the CFP, there are tiered bonuses based on how far they advance, ranging from $300,000 (first-round appearance) to $1 million (championship game win). There are also bonuses ranging from $75,000 to $150,000 tied to the team's academic performance. Per the term sheet, if Campbell were to be terminated, he would be owed 100 per- cent of the guaranteed compensation for the remainder of the employment agree- ment "subject to Coach's mitigation." Should Campbell leave for another job, he would owe PSU $10 million in 2026, with the buyout declining by $2 million each year until 2030. Starting in 2031, the buyout will be $1 million for the remain- der of the contract. — Greg Pickel