Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545675
A U G U S T 2 0 2 6 19 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / T H E B I G P I C T U R E / / / / / / / And if fans had reason to feel dis- oriented, so too did the players. For most of those newcomers, the scene that preceded Penn State's Blue-White Practice on April 25 was a new sen- sation. As they made their way to the locker room entrance, the upper deck of the stadium's south end zone tower- ing above them, they seemed as star- struck as the hundreds of fans who lined their path. The Blue Band and the Nittany Lion mascot preceded them into the stadium, warming up the crowd along the way to help lend the gray, rainy morning a more celebratory vibe than might have seemed possible. Many of those fans would soon find themselves taking shelter from the rain under the stadium's overhangs rather than watching develop- ments on the field, but the pre- game show of enthusiasm made a big impression. "The spirit walk when we first came out here was tremendous. I've never been part of something like that," red- shirt senior quarterback Rocco Becht marveled in a soaking-wet post-practice interview with one of Penn State's in- house media staffers. "And then coming into the stadium and seeing fans in here — I know it's not full, but I appreciate all of these fans coming out on a rainy day. It was awesome." Culture And Character As heartening as their welcome may have been, Becht and his fellow former Cyclones haven't seen anything yet. When Penn State opens its 2026 season on Sept. 5 against Marshall, Beaver Sta- dium will likely be at full capacity, and it will be roaring. Coaching changes have a way of arousing excitement, and in Penn State's case, the arrival of a new staff has made it easier to move on from the many disap- pointments of the 2025 season. Camp- bell, who went 72-55 in 10 seasons at Iowa State, has represented a clean break from the past. Not only has there been a roster overhaul, but the Nittany Li- ons' new head coach has brought a more self-effacing approach to the university's most outward-facing job than is often seen in his line of work. The hope is that Campbell's emphasis on such fundamental qualities as disci- pline and accountability will yield bet- ter results than Penn State has seen in recent years. That won't be easy; while the Franklin era may have ended disas- trously, he didn't leave all that much room for improvement, having compiled a 104-45 record that left him tied with Rip Engle for the second-most wins in program history. Still, there is a model for what Camp- bell is trying to accomplish with the Nit- tany Lions. By going 27-2 and winning a national championship at Indiana of all places, Curt Cignetti has supplied a proof-of-concept for all those programs that hope to compete at the sport's high- est level by outcoaching and out-devel- oping their rivals rather than outspend- ing them. The results speak for themselves. Last season, the Hoosiers edged Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship Game, then topped Alabama, Oregon and Miami in the College Football Playoff by a com- bined margin of 121-46. By some esti- mates, the total payroll for Indiana's last Veteran quarterback Rocco Becht will take the reins of Penn State's offense this season after starting 39 games at Iowa State the past three years. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS "As crazy as our world has gotten, I still feel like the reality is, can you build a team that has the ability to withstand the emotional, mental and physical challenges of a college football season? I don't know if that's ever really changed, and I don't know if it ever will." M A T T C A M P B E L L