Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544053
6 6 A P R I L 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 F or the past 11 years, the Penn State football team and those who follow it knew what to ex- pect during spring practice in State College. Granted, former head coach James Franklin undoubtedly tweaked, changed, added and subtracted some elements between his debut in 2014 and what would turn out to be his last spring in 2025. But, by and large, ev- eryone had a general idea of what to expect after the first one. We are now back to the point of not knowing. New Nittany Lions head coach Matt Campbell conducted his first spring practice session at Penn State on March 24. Obviously, the Lions already look vastly different than they did a year ago. Beyond the new coaches and sup- port staff, there are 50 new players in the program. Many, but not all, come from Iowa State, where Campbell spent 10 seasons transforming a struggling program into one that was capable of competing for Big 12 championships. He went 72-55 at a place where that kind of success was virtually unprece- dented, including an 11-3 mark in 2024. Now, Campbell has a new address. The Lasch Building is already filled with his people, although there are some returnees, both in the coaching ranks and on the roster. The past cou- ple of months have been spent melding all of those people from different back- grounds into a cohesive whole. With the opening of spring drills, another step on that journey is underway. These sessions will be different than what the team has been accustomed to. For starters, Campbell often prac- ticed in the morning at Iowa State, something Franklin did rarely, if ever. Campbell also did not allow the media to see practice, whereas Franklin would provide limited (but still appreciated) access on a weekly basis. The prac- tice schedule, and the media's access to it, will be among the most notable changes. Beyond that, will the Blue-White Game be an actual game? Or will it just be a fan fest with some competitive parts? We still didn't know as of mid- March. "We've got a lot of guys coming off of injuries, so what does that look like? How do we practice?" Campbell asked in February. "But for our fan base to see us on that field and for us to be able to be out in that stadium with our fans before we play a game, I think that's absolutely critically important. "We will certainly do something. What that will look like probably will be based a lot on our health, where we're at at that point, and then making sure we do a great job of getting out there and getting great work in, no matter what it is. We've got to make sure we get value out of that 15th practice." With so many new faces in a new place, getting value out of every prac- tice is obviously vital for the Nittany Lions. How that value is extracted will likely look different than in years past. And it could lead to a change in how BWI reports on the developments and how fans consume them. Something worth noting is that Campbell has shown over the years that he can adapt. He had no issue changing his spring practice model at Iowa State when necessary. Last year, for example, The Athletic reported that the Cyclones did not even use all 15 of their allotted practice sessions. That's unlikely to happen in State College this time around. But, if there is a reason to do so, the Nittany Lions' new head coach is capable of adjusting his plan to accommodate whatever the circumstances might be. Speaking to The Athletic, Iowa State's director of sports performance operations, Aaron Hillmann, recounted a conversation with Campbell about how to approach spring drills. "When we were talking, I said, 'Just because you can, doesn't mean you should,'" said Hillmann, who is now at Penn State. "We're able to take our roster and look at where they're at de- velopmentally and where they're at in terms of training age and then tailor things to what they need instead of everybody doing the same thing all the time, or all the practices where every- body beats the hell out of each other because that's what everybody always does. Not that contact collision won't be part of our spring ball, because you do progress to that … but what's best? Let's evaluate." This year's evaluation is complete, and the plan for spring practice is in place. Fans, reporters, and the team will learn more about it as it unfolds over the coming weeks. This much seems certain: Whatever you might be expecting to see hap- pen, be ready for the unexpected and new. ■ O P I N I O N GREG PICKEL GREG.PICKEL@ON3.COM Expect The Unexpected This Spring THE LAST WORD Matt Campbell is working to blend the largest transfer class in program history with a contingent of returning PSU players. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER