Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1545675
AUGUST 2026/VOL. 41, NO. 11 MANAGING EDITOR Matt Herb CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Steven Bradley, Stu Coman, Cathy Jones, Chris Riffer WEBSITE PUBLISHER Sean Fitz WEBSITE EDITOR Nate Bauer STAFF WRITER Greg Pickel RECRUITING REPORTER Ryan Snyder FOOTBALL ANALYST Thomas Frank Carr CONTRIBUTING WRITER Jim Carlson PHOTOGRAPHY Steve Manuel, Mark Selders, Frank Hyatt COVER PHOTO Mark Selders/Penn State Athletics DESIGN Jeanette Blankenship Chris Miller F F F PUBLISHER Mark Panus BUSINESS ANALYST Sarah Boone CIRCULATION COORDINATOR Beverly Taylor MARKETING COORDINATOR Elena Rehberg ADVERTISING SALES Maria Taustine (502) 552-4390 CUSTOMER SERVICE: (800) 421-7751 Elena Rehberg, Josh Mattes Cathy Jones BLUE WHITE ILLUSTRATED (USPS 742-550) is published monthly, except June, by Coman Publishing Co., a division of On3 Sports, Inc.,located at 922 Broad St., Suite D, Durham, NC 27705. A one-year (11 issues) subscription is $75.00. First-class, digital and foreign rates available on request. Periodicals postage paid at Durham, NC 27701 and additional mailing offices. Printed by The Papers, Milford, Ind. POSTMASTER: Please send address correc- tions/changes to BLUE WHITE ILLUSTRATED, PO Box 2331, Durham NC 27702-2331. For advertising or subscription information call 1-919-688-0218 or write BLUE WHITE ILLUS- TRATED, PO Box 2331, Durham NC 27702-2331. Site Lines C O M M E N T S F R O M T H E L I O N S D E N A T B L U E W H I T E I L L U S T R A T E D . C O M W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M ON PENN STATE'S FOOTBALL OUTLOOK IN 2026 AND BEYOND … I think the game against USC will be what defines our season. The first five games, even though the game against Northwestern is dangerous, give us a great chance to go un- defeated. A loss against USC and a loss against Michigan right after that would give a feeling of a "dead" season. But if we manage to beat USC, even if we lose against Michigan, we still have a good chance of reaching the College Football Playoff. — Danibr Other than the 2016 team, this current team has more threats/balance overall on offense than any given year [in recent Penn State history], in my opinion. … We are built to run the offense we are going to run. — SRATH The Indiana model is the same as many previ- ous models — have a Heisman-caliber quar- terback and about eight other draft picks on the roster, with the most talented being the difference-makers on offense. Obviously, culture and coaching matter, too, but without the play- ers, they only get you so far. I could squint and see 12-18 guys with pro-level upside on this [Penn State] roster. Whether they get there or not is a question, and even if they do, how many end up being high-end guys? And unless Rocco Becht surprises and completes an additional 10 percent of his passes and we find multiple Day 1-2 targets to throw to, I'm a bit skeptical we'll see an Indiana-esque run. — warren_lion Indiana won the natty with an absurdly low blue-chip ratio, but as Damon Runyon put it: "The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that's the way to bet." — Stephen Light I am not sure how the Matt Campbell era will play out, but I really love the culture he is building and how much value he puts into connecting the past players and history to the current team. I think that connection is so powerful when you are trying to bring a group of individuals together to achieve a common goal. It truly becomes something bigger than oneself. It builds a culture of playing for your brothers and those who came before you. That is the Penn State I grew up with. I wish him nothing but success! — mziegenfuss One thing I am genuinely curious about: Campbell talks about the quarterback-coach rela- tionship more than any coach in the country. He has built a brand on it. And he is walking into a job where the quarterback situation gets solved, short term, through the most mercenary mechanism the sport has. A transfer QB is the dating-app version of the quarterback-coach relationship. You get six months to figure out if it is real. How a coach reconciles his stated philosophy with the constraints of his actual job, historically, is where you learn the most about the coach. — MileHighLion0727 Coach Campbell had better be willing to call staff and players out. The Indiana coach insisted on very physical play, along with strict discipline. It's going to be interesting for sure. — Sunshine88! I definitely don't mean to summon any thoughts of our previous coach, but I hope [Campbell] is able to make the changes needed when necessary and not be too loyal. Unfortunately, this is a savage, tough business, and I'm hopeful he won't be too nice. — Arringtonian Don't worry, soon everyone will make the playoff and we will even get participation trophies. — WeArePSU_82 4 A U G U S T 2 0 2 6 With Matt Campbell's first season approaching, Penn State fans like what they've seen of the culture he's building in the Nittany Lion football program. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER