Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547542
D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 6 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M of his family, a separation that was espe- cially difficult early in his career. When Campbell recruited him to Iowa State, Sowell made clear how much having his people at games mattered to him. Sowell's family-oriented mindset was one of the reasons he clicked with Campbell right away. In their early con- versations, Campbell talked about be- ing a husband and raising a family, sub- jects that carried particular meaning for a player who is now engaged. Campbell also helped Sowell's fiancée relocate and find a job. "He had all the things that weren't football-related that kept me there," Sow- ell said. "He's a great football coach, too — that was just a little cherry on top." The football part required some adjust- ment. Sowell said the demands at Iowa State were initially stressful, but he came to appreciate them. He finished the 2025 campaign with 32 catches for 500 yards and 2 touchdowns, earning an honor- able mention nod for the Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year award. It seemed to be the prelude to a big final season with the Cyclones. Then Penn State began taking an in- terest in his head coach. The Nittany Li- ons hired Campbell in December, leaving many Iowa State players with a difficult c h o i ce to m a ke . Sowell was among the dozens who en- tered the portal in January, but he was not without some s e r i o u s m i s g i v - ings while he mulled his third transfer in three years. In the end, he decided that he needed to keep pursuing his goals, what- ever the cost. "There are some hard choices that I've had to make," he said, "and some hard sacrifices, too." Learning Resilience It helped that Sowell was far from alone in his move from Ames to State College. Twenty-four Iowa State players were joining the Nittany Lions, includ- ing Sowell's younger brother and a player with whom he had struck up a productive partnership, redshirt senior quarterback Rocco Becht. Even so, Sowell had work to do that no one else could handle for him. He cared enough about making a play that failing to make one could linger well beyond the next snap. A missed connection might occupy his thoughts for the rest of the game, even as other chances came along. Receivers coach Kashif Moore saw the next stage of Sowell's development as largely mental. Back in August, he com- pared Sowell's situation entering his se- nior season to that of Skyler Bell, a stand- out receiver at Connecticut whom Moore had developed into a fourth-round NFL Draft pick. "I've seen the growth from that aspect," Moore said. "I've seen him put in the work on the mental side." For Sowell, that meant learning to ac- cept a mistake quickly enough to remain useful afterward. He and Moore reviewed what had and hadn't worked the previ- ous season, striving to eliminate the con- centration lapses that had led to dropped passes. Campbell reinforced the message. Caring deeply about the team's fortunes didn't require carrying every disappoint- ment into the next play. "Sometimes you can't put all that weight on your shoulders," Sowell said. By September, he could see a differ- ence. A missed op- portunity in the end zone no longer had to ruin his entire afternoon. He felt calmer when the of- fense struggled, bet- ter equipped to help younger receivers respond to their own difficulties. His connection with Becht developed away from practice, too. They talked about their families, high school recruit- ing and why they played. The better they got to know each other, the tighter their on-field connection became. The work continued on Sundays, with receivers returning to the practice field around 6 p.m. to run routes with Becht. Sowell wanted to help change the reputa- tion of Penn State's wide receiver corps, regardless of where he stood in its hier- archy. With sophomore receiver Koby How- ard, the breakout star of the nonconfer- ence season, out of action due to an un- specified injury, Sowell was an especially important target. He produced 95 yards on 4 catches against USC, then delivered the best game of his career a week later in Ann Arbor. Even that effort required him to work through a setback. After a second-quarter catch, he limped off the field following a tackle by Michigan cornerback Jyaire Hill. Sowell visited the medical tent, tested his ankle and returned. His first play back resulted in a 26-yard reception. By the end of Penn State's 21-18 loss, Sowell had accounted for more than half "There are some hard choices that I've had to make, and some hard sacrifices, too." S O W E L L