Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542734
2 4 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M up at Kansas State coming out of Iowa Western Community College. "Jake is a valuable and talented mem- ber of our coaching staff, and we are excited to see him in this new role," Campbell said in 2024 when he pro- moted Waters from an off-field assis- tant role to running backs coach. The Council Bluffs, Iowa, native was named quarterbacks coach before the 2024 season. "He has earned this opportunity be- cause of his hard work and the impact he's made during his four seasons with the program," Campbell said. "His ex- perience on our staff will make this a seamless transition for him and our team as he moves into this position." Re p l a c i n g Vi rg i n i a Te c h - b o u n d Danny O'Brien, Waters will coach the Penn State passers alongside program letterman Trace McSorley, who was re- tained from James Franklin's staff. The two coaches will be working with Becht, a redshirt senior who last year com- pleted 205 of 339 pass attempts (60.5 percent) for 2,584 yards, with 16 touch- downs and 9 interceptions. Savon Huggins | Running Backs H u g g i n s re p l a c e s Stan Drayton, who left for South Carolina af- ter just one season on Penn State's staff. Be- fore joining Campbell with the Nittany Lions, the Jackson, N.J., na- tive spent five years at Boston College, arriving as a recruiting advisor in 2021 and taking charge of the running backs the following year. Last fall, Huggins helped Turbo Rich- ards rush for 749 yards and 9 touch- downs before leaving for Indiana via the transfer portal. Huggins, 32, will be a familiar name to some Penn State fans. He was a four- star recruit coming out of St. Peter's Prep in the class of 2011 but chose Rut- gers over Penn State and spent four years with the Scarlet Knights before finishing his career at Northern Iowa. Huggins got his start in coaching as an offensive and defensive assistant at Somerville (N.J.) High from 2016- 18. After a season at St. Peter's Prep, he moved up to the college ranks, with stints at Buffalo (wide receivers) and Massachusetts (running backs). Noah Pauley | Wide Receivers Known as one of the nation's most prom- ising young position coaches, Pauley will have the same title at Penn State that he held on Campbell's staff in Ames. In 2024, his second season at Iowa State after arriving from North Dakota State, Pauley was saluted by Foot- ballScoop.com as Wide Receivers Coach of the Year. Two of his pass catchers — Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins — be- came the first duo in school history to top 1,000 receiving yards apiece. Noel finished with 80 catches for 1,194 yards and 8 touchdowns, while Higgins had 87 for 1,183 yards and 9 scores. Both players were in the top 10 nationally in receiving yards. A Duluth, Minn., native, Pauley was once part of the American Foot- ball Coaches Association's "35 Under 35" watch list. He replaces Marques Hagans, who moved on to Michigan as an analyst. Ryan Clanton | Offensive Line Another Iowa State c o a c h i n g v e t e r a n , Clanton is set to re- place Phil Trautwein, who has resurfaced at his alma mater, Florida. C l a n t o n j o i n e d C a m p b e l l 's s ta f f i n Ames ahead of the 2023 season. He is a former Oregon team captain and was a juco All-America offensive lineman at the City College of San Francisco. A Bakersfield, Calif., native, he began his coaching career at Ventura (Calif.) College and later moved on to Northern Iowa. After bringing him to Ames, Camp- bell noted that Clanton "has got a great history of being a great developer." Un- der his watch, the Cyclones went from averaging 108.0 rushing yards per game in his first season to 160.5 in Year 2 and 174.5 this past fall. In addition to helping the running game thrive, Clanton's line allowed only 51 sacks the past three seasons, eighth- fewest among Power Four teams over that span. DEFENSE Ikaika Malloe | Defensive Line Malloe spent the past four seasons as an as- sistant at UCLA and now will take charge of PSU's defensive front following Deion Barnes' move to South Carolina. Malloe coached the Bruins' outside linebackers and served as special teams coordinator before taking over the defensive line in 2023. He arrived in Los Angeles following a six-year stint at Washington, his alma mater, from 2016-21. During his play- ing career with the Huskies, he was a decorated safety and outside linebacker. At Penn State, Malloe will reunite with Lynn, who was in charge of UCLA's defense during the 2023 season. Taking over a program that had languished in the years prior to their arrival, Lynn and Malloe helped engineer a turnaround in which the Bruins clamped down on yards allowed. UCLA finished the sea- son ranked No. 10 nationally, allowing just 301.5 yards per game. The Bruins boasted the nation's second-ranked rushing defense, surrendering just 80.8 yards per game on the ground while giv- ing up only 18.4 points per game. Malloe helped guide the development of defensive end Laiatu Latu, who was chosen by the Indianapolis Colts with the 15th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Latu led the nation in tackles for loss per game at 1.8 and averaged 1.08 sacks per game, finishing with 13 on the season. He won the Lombardi and Ted Hendricks awards and was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. After Lynn left UCLA for USC follow- ing the 2023 season, Malloe was pro- moted to defensive coordinator. That