Penn State Sports Magazine
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2 2 M A R C H 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 trying to build at Penn State. "I think his personality type will fit in," Broomfield said. "He's very thoughtful, very detailed. He's [purposeful] when he does speak. That will go a long way toward being part of the staff and obviously being the coordinator. He's very, very detailed and organized. I think he's going to bring a differ- ent energy." Lynn will be tasked with helping PSU regain its place among the statistical lead- ers in the country on defense after a disap- pointing 2025 season. The Nittany Lions struggled to adapt to Jim Knowles' sys- tem, and a season-ending injury to then- sophomore linebacker Tony Rojas added to the difficulties. After ranking seventh in the FBS in total defense (294.8 yards per game) and eighth in scoring defense (16.5 points per game) in 2024, the Lions fell to 25th (326.8 ypg) and 31st (20.5 ppg), respectively, in those categories last fall. Knowles has since headed to Tennes- see, and while Rojas is expected back from his injury, the rest of the defense is very much in flux. Of the 11 Nittany L i o n s wh o s ta r te d seven or more games last season, nine have either exhausted their eligibility or trans- ferred. Only two of last year's top 10 tacklers —senior cornerbacks Audavion Collins and Zion Tracy — are returning in 2026. To address their most urgent needs, the Nittany Lions brought in 18 defensive transfers, including 10 from Iowa State. There are 57 people on Matt Campbell's first staff at Penn State, and only about 20 percent were with the program in 2025. That is par for the course when a coaching change occurs. There are typically some holdovers, but the new boss tends to bring his people with him. In Penn State's case, most of the new people left Iowa State to join Campbell's staff in State College. There are only a dozen carryovers from James Franklin's final staff, a list headlined by cornerbacks coach Terry Smith, special teams coordinator Justin Lustig, assistant cornerbacks coach Jordan Lucas, assistant linebackers coach Dan Connor and as- sistant quarterbacks coach Trace McSorley. Most of those staffers, if not all, had the option of leaving Penn State for another program this offseason. When he was introduced in early December as the Nittany Lions' new coach, Campbell said he was thrilled to retain Smith, a longtime assistant and former PSU letterman. Smith had gone 3-3 as Franklin's interim replacement and had reportedly elicited some interest from other schools, but he opted to return with the title of associate head coach in addition to his leadership of the cornerbacks room. With Smith, Lucas, Connor and McSorley returning and another for- mer PSU letterman, D'Anton Lynn, back in State College as defensive coordinator, the Nittany Lions now have five program alums in on- field coaching roles, four of them on the defensive side of the ball. Campbell said that in the days following his introduction as head coach, he talked with everyone on the staff. It was important to him to have people with institutional knowledge since many of his staff- ers were unfamiliar with Penn State's program. Connor, a Bednarik Award-winning linebacker during his playing days, was particularly convincing, impressing Campbell as someone who needed to be retained. "I met with Dan Connor, and it took two seconds to say, 'This per- son gets it,'" Campbell said. "He is Penn State football — what he stands for, what he talks about excel- lence looking like, what's gone well, what are some of the areas that need to move forward. "Dan was so articulate about where this program is, why he loves Penn State football, what it did for him, and honestly, how he envisions this program moving forward. It was such a great match." Connor will work with new lineback- ers coach Tyson Veidt, who comes to Penn State after having served as defensive coordinator at Cincinnati the past two seasons. Veidt was previously on Campbell's staff at Iowa State. On the opposite side of the ball, McSorley will have a similar ar- rangement, working with new quarterbacks coach Jake Waters, another member of Campbell's previous staff with the Cyclones. Campbell said the former All-Big Ten quarterback can play a signifi- cant role in helping projected starter Rocco Becht acclimate to PSU. "I think Trace is just starting [to see] how special his career could be," Campbell said. "I kept thinking about him and Rocco having very similar traits — what they're about and the impact that he could have in a positive way on Rocco." Two other PSU lettermen — former defensive standouts Jordan Hill and Alan Zemaitis — are serving in off-field support roles. Hill is listed as director of player development, while Zemaitis is director of talent acquisition. Campbell said he was pleased to have so many alums helping him build the Nittany Lions' program. "We're really fortunate," he said. "The gentlemen that decided to stay, they've been huge inputs. We're really grateful that those guys have stayed put. To me, there's a great identification on how you build your program, what you believe in. Those guys embody it. "To be able to have that wisdom, that experience, the living proof of what the power of Penn State excellence looks like on our staff, it's been really fortunate for me." — Greg Pickel New Staff Features Several Familiar Faces "Me and my wife felt like, at this point in my life, every decision I make has to be a family choice. And this time around, we just felt like we were prepared to take this step." L Y N N TRACE McSORLEY DAN CONNOR