Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545007
1 4 J U N E / J U L 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 They Said It "Last year was a huge disappointment. We know that this program is making this move because they want to move from good to great. … They felt like they could make a run at a national championship a year ago, and they didn't. The big-game failures prompted this move, and now Matt Campbell is going to be charged with trying to win those big games. But here's the thing — they don't have a ton of big games this year because the schedule falls in their favor. … I think they could make a run at 10 wins. A home game against USC and road trips to Michigan and Washington — those are the toughest games on the schedule. So, it certainly lines up as a big year in the first year under Matt Campbell for the Nittany Lions." — FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt, explaining his decision to place Penn State 15th in his top 25 coming out of spring practice "The more I talked to Coach Campbell, it re- minded me of why I went to Penn State as a high school recruit. His vision for the program ... I just felt like, 'Man, this guy's a perfect fit for Penn State.' The culture is going to be dif- ferent. The atmosphere is going to be differ- ent. I just really wanted to be a part of what he was going to do here." — Defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn, speaking to ESPN.com about his decision to join the coaching staff at his alma mater "He's going to put you in a position to make plays. Wherever he feels you can help at, he's going to put you in that position, and there's going to be a way for you to make plays. It's not just going to be a bunch of sitting ducks out there. Guys are going to be flying around in different positions." — Junior safety Marcus Neal Jr. on D'Anton Lynn's defense "What I really liked was Clanton's exper- tise in turning guys like me into absolute monsters. That really stood out to me. All the places I went to, they would talk about all the guys they sent to the NFL and how successful they've been. But they didn't really show me how they would take some- one like myself, who's sub-300 pounds, and really mold them into the players they be- came. That's what really stood out the most to me about Clanton and Penn State. They showed me how." — Offensive tackle David Tarawallie, ex- plaining the impact that offensive line coach Ryan Clanton had on his decision to join the Nittany Lions' 2027 recruiting class "We're learning that it's on us to execute. I feel like that's where we've been losing big games. Yes, the coaches have to coach us, but this is our team. We have to hold each other accountable. If I don't do my job, I'm screwing over the team. The players have to execute their job for us to get over the hump." — Junior offensive lineman Cooper Cous- ins, to ESPN.com, on the chemistry that Penn State has been striving to build under Matt Campbell PHOTO COURTESY PITTSBURGH STEELERS "I don't think it's overwhelming at all. It's a lot of fun. This is what I've worked for basically since high school, to have the opportunity to play in the NFL. I'm definitely not taking it for granted. And I'm with a great organization, so I couldn't be more happy or excited to be in this position." — Former Penn State quarterback Drew Allar, speaking to reporters during the Pittsburgh Steelers' rookie minicamp