More misery on college program left in tatters by transfer portal as former coach snatches 20 players

The Penn State Nittany Lions might need a new nickname in 2026.

Matt Campbell was introduced as the program’s new head coach a month ago, arriving from Iowa State.

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He swapped the Big 12 for the Big 10, having established himself as the Cyclones’ all-time winningest coach with a 72–55 record across 10 seasons.

Iowa State was good to Campbell, who was named the conference’s Coach of the Year on three occasions, and next season he will have Happy Valley looking a lot like Ames — which has already seen a mass exodus.

Cyclones players follow Matt Campbell to Penn State

Upon arriving at Penn State, Campbell made clear his ambitions to revamp recruiting strategy and rebuild the roster.

The latter point will be particularly important, given the Nittany Lions have lost more than 40 players to the transfer portal.

January marks a hectic two weeks of movement in college football, but as some depart Penn State, many others will arrive.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, a lots of players are coming from Iowa State.

The Nittany Lions landed 24 commits within days of the portal opening, and 20 of those names are following Coach Campbell from the Cyclones.

Four of those arriving from Ames are listed as four-star prospects by 24/7 Sports.

Highly-rated wide receiver Chase Sowell, linebacker Caleb Bacon, tight end Benjamin Brahmer and safety Marcus Neal Jr. will all play at Beaver Stadium in 2026.

What has Matt Campbell said about his recruiting strategy?

Campbell could yet flip more names to the Nittany Lions, and he has already dropped some hints about his approach to recruitment and the portal.

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He has far more resources available to him in this new role, and was used to working with around half of Penn State’s budget while with the Cyclones.

Campbell is expected to direct around $30 million in NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) funding to his Nittany Lions program.

NIL remains a huge talking point, with one recent Texas Tech transfer landing a seven-figure deal that eclipses Shedeur Sanders’ entire rookie NFL contract.

“The financial aspect, I think, is certainly unique,” he said at his introductory press conference last month.

“One of the great things that we have here is the sacrifice that (Athletic Director) Pat (Kraft) and his team have made to be competitive at the highest level to give yourself a chance to build the best team.

“Now, I think sometimes in college football we can get lost on the financial piece of it.

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“Do I think it’s important? Absolutely. But I think the reality is that it cannot be priority No. 1.”

Campbell went on to stress the importance of being ‘smart’ with the money at his disposal.

“It’s great to have the money, but it’s using the money wisely,” he added.

“It’s using the resources correctly, building the right team and knowing what you’re trying to spend those things on and making sure it’s about the right things.”

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Campbell landed in the Happy Valley after a ‘historic collapse’ saw James Franklin fired six weeks into the 2025 season, before he landed a $50million buyout.

The Nittany Lions recovered to finish the season 7-6 and win the Pinstripe Bowl against Clemson, but will be expected to improve on that record next season and beyond.

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