Matt Campbell and Penn State have earned a major take about their use of the transfer portal.
Penn State has changed a ton over the last season. They entered the 2025 season with expectations of being contenders for the National Championship and making the College Football Playoff.
However, the Nittany Lions fell way short of that goal, going 7-6 and firing head coach James Franklin midseason.
To replace Franklin, Penn State brought in Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell. Campbell had a ton of success there, going 72-55 across 10 seasons.
Campbell will look to turn the program around and has been aggressive in the transfer portal to add more talent.
With all of the moves they have made, Penn State has landed on the list of teams off to the hottest starts in the transfer portal.
"The list of Cyclones joining them in Happy Valley includes 13 players who started games in 2025 and a trio who earned All-Big 12 honors in Hansen, Brahmer and Neal. There was no doubt that Becht, a 39-game starter, and many of Iowa State's top juniors would look to finish their careers with Campbell. The new staff had to find defensive linemen elsewhere in the portal and have done a nice job addressing that need. Campbell is one of several coaches attempting to pull off an Indiana-style fast roster flip this offseason, with the help of veteran players he trusts to set the culture. The immediate success or struggles of these bold Year 1 experiments will be fascinating to follow," Max Olson of ESPN wrote.
With Campbell bringing over a ton of players from Iowa State, they will have that familiarity in what is expected, which could help the Nittany Lions have a great 2026 season.
Quarterback Rocco Becht has had a ton of success playing under Campbell. In the 2023 season, he completed 62.9 percent of his passes for 3,120 yards, 23 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Becht also rushed for 63 yards and three touchdowns.
He followed that up in the 2024 season by completing 59.4 percent of his passes for 3,505 yards, 25 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Becht added 318 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground.
In 2025, Becht completed 60.5 percent of his passes for 2,584 yards, 16 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He rushed for 116 yards and eight touchdowns.
With all of the additions that Campbell has made in the portal, Penn State could have a significant turnaround in the 2026 season and get back to being a contender for the National Championship.