Despite a rocky start and transfer decisions, Matt Campbell faces a pivotal season. Josh Pate reveals why early wins against top rivals are crucial for his Penn State future.
New Penn State head coach Matt Campbell faced many early challenges with his new program.
Because he was hired so late in the coaching carousel, PSU lost most of its high school recruits for the class of 2026, many of whom went to Virginia Tech to join James Franklin.
Campbell responded by bringing 23 players of his former players from Iowa State. How those Big 12 players adjust to the Big Ten remains to be seen, especially given the Cyclones went 4-8 in 2025.
Campbell does have some things working in his favor. PSU's schedule is generous, with Oregon, Indiana and Ohio State off the schedule this fall.
During his show on Sunday, Josh Pate suggested Campbell is in a good situation with better resources at Penn State. However, he cautioned that Penn State needs to give Campbell more money if they want to win a national championship.
The willingness of the Nittany Lions to spend will likely come down to Campbell winning games against better opponents like USC, Michigan and Washington this season.
"Now, that means all of Penn State has to be behind him," Pate said. "That means the financial piece has to be there.
"I think that will become self-serving in a sense that once he shows that he's the guy, there will be immense motivation to make sure we put more wind in the sails up there. But he's got to win big games.”
Michigan, Washington,and USC are all winnable games for Campbell. He doesn't need to win all three to show he deserves a big check for 2027, but the Nittany Lions should win two of the three.
Pate thinks Campbell will contend for a national title at PSU.
"So look, I think the world of Matt Campbell," Pate said.
"I think he's going to win there. I think they can compete for a national championship there, not this year, just in general."
Campbell was able to lead Iowa State to wins against elite teams in the Big 12. With Penn State, he should be able to knock off some top 10 Big Ten programs.
If he can beat USC or Michigan this fall, boosters should feel better about his prospects to eventually beat Oregon, Ohio State and Indiana.