Penn State Sports Magazine
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M A Y 2 0 2 6 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M W hether he intended it or not, the moment was revealing for Matt Campbell. Still checking off firsts five months into his tenure in State College, he joined host Steve Jones for a one-off edition of the "Penn State Coaches Show" a few days before Blue-White Weekend. It was Campbell's first opportunity to do the radio show — a weekly staple during the season — and his genial per- sonality connected instantly with the fans who had called in with questions and comments. One sequence in particular should serve as a baseline for understanding his perception of the program — its history and traditions, as well as his place within it. This wasn't just a radio moment — it was a thesis statement laying out how the program will build its roster under Campbell's leadership. For those fans longing for a full em- brace of the values that have come to define Penn State football, Campbell demonstrated a personal alignment that many will find gratifying. "You've done some pretty good, snazzy recruiting," one fan said. "What's the [key]? What's working for you?" The ensuing two-and-a-half min- utes were, one could imagine, a close approximation of what an in-home recruiting visit from Campbell might sound like. "What we get to sell is an Ivy League education with an opportunity to com- pete at the highest level of our sport," he said. "I think you can bring young people and their families here and see what the academic opportunities are for the next four to five years, and what getting a degree from Penn State looks like. "And then we also get the opportu- nity to explain what's been here before us. I think those are powerful building blocks." Passionate and enthusiastic about Penn State football and what the pro- gram represents, Campbell was careful to put academics at the forefront of the conversation. "The reality is, sometimes I'm prob- ably an anti-recruiter," he said. "I've always told a young person and their family, 'I don't want you to come here unless you really believe in me.' "It's cool to have these great stadi- ums. It's cool to have all this stuff. But at the end of the day, with what we ask of 18- to 22-year-olds in the sport of football today, it's one of the hardest, greatest challenges out there, mentally and physically." In the vastly altered landscape of college football, with millions in NIL money sloshing around and the transfer portal looming large, all this stuff has become a defining force steering deci- sions across the sport. Contract figures are paramount. The perks and opportunities for players and their families to establish personal brands and life-changing income — with or without a future in professional football — are undeniable. The glitz and glamour of every pro- gram is tied to that reality. And at Penn State, with its $700 million renovation to what is already one of the biggest and best venues in the sport, the program can assert its place in that hierarchy. Those elements aren't changing in the pecking order for talent acquisition. But as Campbell noted, there are other factors in play. Players and their families under- standably focus on best-case sce- narios when they look to the future, but Campbell insists on offering a counter- balance. Because for as many success stories as Penn State can proudly pres- ent, the path to greatness is inevitably littered with challenges and setbacks. "There are going to be some really hard days," Campbell said. "And when the hard days come, it's not going to be about the cool stadium, and it's not go- ing to be about all this stuff. It's going to be about relationships and people. "I think the biggest sell from our end is, we have great people. We're really fortunate. And there are going to be re- ally tough days. "I always say to every young man and their family, you had better pick us not because of the good days, but the really hard days — and because you trust that we're going to be there to help you grow to become the best you can be through the tough days. That's been the sell. It'll always be the sell, because that's what I really believe my responsibility of build- ing a football program is about." There will be hard days for Penn State itself; in the years ahead, it will inevi- tably lose out on players seeking a dif- ferent path. But at a moment in college sports when choices often come down to who's made the highest bid, Penn State is choosing to stand apart under Campbell's leadership. It's a critical piece of the program's identity, and one that he intends to prove can still yield wins. ■ Describing himself as "probably an anti-recruiter," Campbell said he wants to ensure that the players PSU signs are fully invested in his vision for the program. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS O P I N I O N NATE BAUER NATE.BAUER@ON3.COM HOT READ Matt Campbell Keeps It Real On The Recruiting Trail