Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542734
F E B R 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 tenure was cut short when the Bruins fired head coach DeShaun Foster this past September and dismissed Malloe just two days later. Christian Smith | Edge Rushers I n S m i t h , P e n n State is adding an- o t h e r yo u t h f u l a n d energetic voice to the staff. Particularly in the absence of Barnes, whose departure for South Carolina in late December was unexpected, the move would replace a 32-year-old assistant with a coach recognized for his rapid rise through the profession. L a s t s u m m e r, t h e A FCA n a m e d Smith to its "35 Under 35" list. A de- fensive line coach at South Dakota State for six years, he made the jump to Northwestern ahead of the 2023 sea- son. His unit shined in a 22-21 win at Penn State last October, helping hold the Nittany Lions to just 274 total of- fensive yards. Prior to his time with the Wildcats, Smith was considered a critical com- ponent of the Jackrabbits' climb to the 2022 FCS championship. His group ranked first in the FCS in rushing yards allowed (88.1 per game), while also sur- rendering just 274.1 total yards and 15.8 points per contest. Tyson Veidt | Linebackers Veidt comes to PSU from Cincinnati, where he served as defensive coordinator in 2024 and '25. Prior to his two-year stint with the Bearcats, the Logan, Ohio, native coached linebackers under Campbell both at To- ledo and Iowa State. Veidt's defenses struggled at Cincin- nati. The Bearcats were No. 85 in total defense in 2024 and No. 100 this past season. However, the team did boast a first-team All-Big 12 linebacker last year in Jake Golday, who finished with 105 tackles, including 6 for loss and 3.5 sacks, along with 3 pass breakups. During his tenure at Iowa State, Veidt developed two All-Americans in Joel Lanning (2017) and Mike Rose (2020). He was FootballScoop.com's Lineback- ers Coach of the Year in 2017 and the following year was a nominee for the Broyles Award, which goes to college football's top assistant coach. At Penn State, Veidt will team up with returning linebackers coach Dan Con- nor, one of the holdovers from Frank- lin's staff. Deon Broomfield | Safeties Set to succeed Ten- nessee-bound assistant Anthony Poindexter at Penn State, Broom- field spent the past five seasons coaching Iowa State's safeties. A 34-year-old native of Palm Bay, Fla., Broomfield played defensive back for the Cyclones before a brief NFL stint. He began his coach- ing career at Carthage (Wis.) College in 2015 and later had stints at Western Il- linois and Indiana State before spending the 2020 season as a defensive assistant with the Houston Texans. Broomfield joined Campbell as safeties coach in 2021 and later added the title of passing game coordinator. "I just think it's a huge win for us in our program, and then I think you talk character, cultural [fit] … he's got a great, great energy about himself," Campbell said in 2021. "We're really excited to have Coach Broomfield here." Iowa State had 42 interceptions the past three seasons, the 11th-highest total in the country. At Penn State, Broomfield will reunite with transfer safety Marcus Neal Jr., a third-team All- Big 12 choice as a sophomore who tied for the team lead with 77 tackles last year. Neal's 11 tackles for loss were the most of any Big 12 defensive back. ■ Nate Bauer and Sean Fitz contributed to this report. Under the tutelage of receivers coach Noah Pauley, Iowa State wideouts Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins both surpassed 1,000 yards in 2024. PHOTO COURTESY IOWA STATE ATHLETICS