Matt Campbell is flipping commits and building out his staff at Penn State. Is bringing in D’Anton Lynn as DC next?

There is one more game separating Penn State from officially being in the Matt Campbell era, after the former longtime Iowa State coach was hired by the Nittany Lions earlier this month.

In one week, the transfer portal for college football will open, and Campbell’s staff at Penn State is starting to take shape, with several familiar names from the head coach’s tenure in Ames.

Last week, Noah Pauley was named Penn State’s wide receivers coach and Jake Waters was listed as the quarterbacks coach. The week before that, Taylor Mouser was announced as the offensive coordinator and tight ends coach, while Deon Broomfield (secondary coach) and Ryan Clanton (offensive line coach) also joined the staff.

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Much of the defensive staff must still be filled out, especially after Jon Heacock, who was expected to follow Campbell from Iowa State to Penn State, decided to retire. The Nittany Lions are reportedly interested in former letterman D’Anton Lynn, who has been the defensive coordinator at Southern Cal the past two seasons. Adding Lynn, whose defense this year ranked inside the top 50 in points and yards allowed, would help solidify a staff with a strong nucleus.

Mouser’s offense at Iowa State was better statistically in 2024 than 2025, but this year was only his second season as the play caller. Clanton, who played at Oregon under Chip Kelly, has been successful developing offensive linemen. While at Northern Iowa, he was instrumental in helping Trevor Penning become a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft, and aided Jalen Travis at Iowa State, who was selected in the fourth round of the 2024 draft.

Bloomfield has developed a couple of secondary players recently that have been drafted (T.J. Tampa in 2024, Darien Porter in 2025), while Pauley has similarly had success in the growth of his receivers, with Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins each getting drafted earlier this year. Pauley also was key in Christian Watson’s development at North Dakota State.

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Waters, meanwhile, has worked closely the past two years with quarterback Rocco Becht, who recently entered the transfer portal.

Campbell’s staff is a mix of experienced coaches and others who have gone from being analysts to position coaches. But there has been plenty of staff turnover outside of that, even as interim coach Terry Smith was retained, along with assistant QBs coach Trace McSorley.

Among those who have departed are defensive line coach Deion Barnes, the North Philly native who was vital in developing Abdul Carter, Chop Robinson, Odafe Oweh, and others. Barnes took the same job at South Carolina, alongside former Temple coach Stan Drayton, who coached running backs at Penn State and will do the same for the Gamecocks as running backs coach and assistant head coach for offense.

Former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, also a Philly native, is heading to Tennessee at the same position, and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki is not returning next season, although he will coach in the Pinstripe Bowl. A few others followed James Franklin to Virginia Tech, including Ty Howle, Danny O’Brien, Chuck Losey, and several others on the support staff.

While Campbell has brought in some of his own guys, he will need to continue to look externally to fill out the rest of his staff, which will likely come over the next couple of weeks.

Penn State signed just two players in the 2026 recruiting class, so it was natural that once Campbell was hired, that number would change. And it has in recent days.

Offensive linemen Mason Bandhauer and Pete Eglitis were among the seven players who previously committed to Iowa State that flipped to Penn State, bringing their 2026 recruiting class to nine players and counting.

And more reinforcements could be on the way via the transfer portal. Along with Becht, former Iowa State running back Carson Hansen and wide receivers Brett Eskildsen and Xavier Townsend have entered the portal.

Becht seems like a natural fit in Happy Valley, considering his experience, familiarity with staff, and the high-profile nature of the games Penn State will play, though there will be a considerable number of suitors. The ex-Iowa State quarterback has thrown for over 9,000 yards and 64 touchdowns in 39 starts.

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Campbell will likely try and reconnect with some of the players he coached at Iowa State, but he will also need to try and recruit the players currently on Penn State’s roster. A number of key contributors, including edge rusher Chaz Coleman, defensive backs A.J. Harris and Elliot Washington, headline those who have announced their intention to enter the portal. Plus, several starters from the 2025 season will be making the jump to the NFL.

The new staff has its work cut out for them as they continue to build out the rest of the team for next year and beyond. But first, the rest of the staff remaining from the 2025 team will focus on beating Clemson on Saturday (noon, 6abc) to salvage what was a lost season in early October.

Amid a long holiday weekend of college football, there are two games with local flair certainly worth watching. Enjoy.

Pinstripe Bowl: Penn State vs. Clemson (Saturday, noon, 6ABC)

It’s a chance for the Nittany Lions to end a rough year by their standards on a high note against a quality Power Five opponent. Motivation? Penn State enters the game as three-point underdogs. It’s a test for fresh-faced Nittany Lions quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, but the must-watch on offense will be in running back Kaytron Allen as he continues a season-ending climb to the top of the Big Ten history books. Fun fact: As two of the oldest programs in college football, this will only be the second time these two teams face off.

Gator Bowl: Virginia vs. Missouri (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. 6ABC)

Saturday will provide another chance to see Spring-Ford alum Matt Zollers lead the Missouri offense after Mizzou QB1 Beau Pribula announced his intent to leave the school. This left head coach Eli Drinkwitz to announce Zollers as the starter. In six games this season, Zollers, the freshman backup, threw for 402 yards, four touchdowns, and a pick, winning four of the six games he played in. The Tigers hope he can keep that same energy while entering the game as four-point favorites.

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