Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544665
3 6 M A 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 strategically important for the upcoming season. The staff came from Iowa State, a program historically starved of resources. Campbell, offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser, and offensive line coach Ryan Clanton have never had this kind of offen- sive line talent on one roster. Coming from the Big 12, they appear determined to meet the moment and play Big Ten football with players who possess the physical require- ments to succeed at this level. On the defensive side, new coordinator D'Anton Lynn is coming off a two-year tenure at USC in which the Trojans strug- gled against the run due to a lack of bod- ies up front and a program culture under head coach Lincoln Riley that didn't pri- oritize interior run fits in practice. Getting bigger up front to stop the run appears to be a lesson Lynn has carried with him from his time in Los Angeles. Nutrition alone isn't going to change that dynamic, but it's a part of the solu- tion. Moreover, group meals aren't just about calorie consumption. They're also about accountability. From that thread, you can pull on nearly every aspect of the program, and it's all aimed at holding people responsible for their actions. Junior offensive lineman Cooper Cous- ins recently explained to podcaster Adam Breneman how the team competes daily. Eating, lifting and practicing go hand in hand, but the broader goal is to build ath- letes from the ground up, physically and mentally. "The world we ask college athletes to live in today is [one in which] you're under so much scrutiny," Cousins said. "You've got social media, all these things. If you don't have a great foundation in terms of your habits and your process, you're go- ing to get thrown into this world, whether you have success or failure, and it's going to eat you alive. "It's really a matter of developing the habits it takes to consistently show up and get 1 percent better every day. Whether yesterday was a good day or bad day, [you have to] show up and work and grow and get better." ■ Junior safety Marcus Neal Jr. didn't need time to adjust to Penn State's new morning practice routine. He already lived it. A veteran of the Iowa State program under Matt Campbell, Neal has long operated on an early schedule — one that Penn State adopted in full this spring. In his case, that meant being up around 5:50 a.m. for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday practices that began at 9. During the season, it's going to be much the same. Players will arrive at the Lasch Build- ing at around 6:15 a.m. to get the day started. Most nights, that means getting to sleep between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. It's not the kind of lifestyle that comes naturally to college stu- dents, but Neal said the payoff is worth the adjustment. "It's just pretty nice. You get to get up, start your day off right, get practice in in the morning, and make corrections in the afternoon," he said. "And you have the afternoon time for treatment and stuff like that. "You get used to it. I like it. In my opinion, once you get used to it, you become a fan of it. But before, you might be, 'Ehhhh.' I had that. I was a little iffy about it when I first started, but once you get used to it, it's real nice." For others, the adjustment process continued over the course of spring practice. In recent weeks, junior offensive lineman Cooper Cousins was undergoing the same transition that Neal made earlier in his career. Now preparing for his third season with the Nittany Lions, Cousins was part of last year's 7-6 finish and recognized that returning players would need to develop new habits in order to fit in with the coaching staff and change the team's on-field results. "It's definitely different, definitely a change," he said. "That's what comes with it. We're definitely getting into the flow of things now. Really, at this point, there's no excuse. Who cares if everything's new? You've got to just go with the flow." Neal said the benefits of Campbell's approach have become clear over time. "It's way more beneficial," he said. "I feel like it gives you extra time on the back end of the day to really hone in on things like treatment and nutrition, instead of going your whole day and then practicing." Likewise, Cousins said, the football side of the equation is strength- ened as well. With the chance to do same-day practice evaluations, the Lions are able to make corrections more quickly and accelerate the player-development process. "Obviously, there are adjustments, but I think the biggest part of it was really just keeping to myself and being myself throughout it all," Cousins said. "You've got to change some of your habits with the new stuff that's coming in here, but you really have to have the same mindset at the same point." That mindset? "Work every single day. Grind every single day," he said. "Pretty much the same." — Nate Bauer Matt Campbell's Iowa State Imports Know The Drill An Iowa State transfer, junior safety Marcus Neal Jr. has been following Campbell's practice regimen since he was a freshman in 2024. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER