Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546159
1 4 S E P T E M B E R 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 P enn State coach Matt Campbell added another letterman to his staff in late July when he brought for- mer Nittany Lion linebacker Michael Mauti aboard as the program's director of football engagement. Mauti previously worked in the ath- letics department as an associate direc- tor of development, a fundraising role. It wasn't clear as of mid-August what exactly his new duties will entail, but Campbell said he was excited to keep the former All-American, one of the he- roes of PSU's much-loved 2012 team, involved with the program. "He's been working on campus, so I got to meet him early on during our time here and was just struck by his pas- sion for what Penn State as a university and Penn State as a football program is about," Campbell said. The Nittany Lions' first-year head coach noted that in May he had taken the team to see "Saving the Roar," a doc- umentary about the 2012 team. That embattled squad carried on following the imposition of major NCAA sanc- tions and ended up finishing 8-4. Mauti was one of the leaders who helped keep his teammates engaged in the wake of the sanctions, which included a provi- sion allowing all players on the team to immediately transfer. The movie "paid great tribute to who Mike was and what he stood for, and so many of those great players on the 2012 team," Campbell said. Afterward, he talked with athletics director Patrick Kraft about finding a way for Mauti to be more directly in- volved with the football program. "Pat really did a great job of allow- ing us to take his role from an athletic department focus and really bring him into the football facility for engagement and the ability to just continue to navi- gate ourselves forward," Campbell said. "To have Mike with us every day means a great deal. Even just to pick his brain as a football player [has been helpful], and to have him around our players, especially." Another member of that team, defen- sive tackle Jordan Hill, had been named director of the Penn State Letterman's Club earlier this summer. Campbell said it's been invaluable to have former play- ers like Mauti and Hill in high-visibility roles within the program. "Our players watched that film and understood what [Mauti] and Jordan Hill stood for," Campbell said. "It was a monumental growth moment for our football team to really understand what it means to play here." Mauti was the Big Ten Linebacker of the Year and a first-team All-American in 2012. He suffered a season-ending knee injury against Indiana in mid- November but was still drafted in the seventh round by the Minnesota Vikings in 2013 and spent two seasons with the team. The Mandeville, La., native fin- ished his pro career with the New Or- leans Saints in 2017. Hill came aboard in July and will fill a role that had been held since 2013 by former Nittany Lion quarterback Wally Richardson. He will be responsible for overseeing the Football Letterman's Club, which has more than 900 dues- paying members and a database of more than 1,500 former Penn State players and student managers. Hill had joined the previous coaching staff in 2024 as director of life skills. That title was eventually changed to di- rector of player development. Before joining PSU's football support staff, Hill spent two seasons as head football coach at Trinity High in Camp Hill, Pa. "Being named director of the Penn State Football Letterman's Club means a great deal to me," Hill said. "Growing up in Steelton, Pa., playing and working for this program was a dream of mine. Penn State's legacy was built by generations of men who gave more than they took. I'm honored to continue that tradition." Hill joined Penn State's program in 2009 after leading Steelton-Highspire High to back-to-back state champion- ships in 2007 and '08. He then became a full-time starter with the Nittany Lions during the 2011 season. The following year, Hill earned first- team All-Big Ten honors before being drafted in the third round by the Seattle Seahawks in 2013. He was part of the Seahawks' Super Bowl-winning squad later that year and went on to play five pro seasons. ■ Former Penn State Defensive Stars Take On New Roles G R E G P I C K E L | G R E G . P I C K E L @ O N 3 . C O M PENN STATE LETTERMEN ON CURRENT FOOTBALL STAFF Name Title Terry Smith Associate head coach/cornerbacks coach D'Anton Lynn Defensive coordinator Dan Connor Assistant linebackers coach Steven Gonzalez Recruiting assistant Jordan Hill Director of player development and director of the Letterman's Club Jordan Lucas Assistant cornerbacks coach Michael Mauti Director of football engagement DeOn'tae Pannell Assistant defensive line coach Alan Zemaitis Director of talent acquisition MICHAEL MAUTI JORDAN HILL