Matt Campbell has been officially introduced as the 17th head coach in Penn State Football History. (Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images)
Matt Campbell has been introduced as Penn State Football’s 17th head coach in program history, and now the hard work begins. As Campbell begins his tenure at Penn State, he will shift his attention to recruiting at some point, and probably pretty quickly.
“Yeah, let’s start with the transfer portal to the high school piece of it. I think one of the great reasons being here is, boy, you’re in the most fertile ground, the excellence of high school football in a six- to eight-hour radius.” Campbell told reporters at his introductory press conference. “Everything will start with building high school football and continuing to do a great job in this state and our surrounding states. Nobody is going to attack more than us.”
Doing a great job within the footprint has been a lifeblood for Penn State.
Matt Campbell’s Recruiting Philosophy: Talent ID vs. Blue-Chip Classes
Campbell is right, Penn State must attack and dominate the recruiting footprint.
But, can Campbell do that?
Is Campbell a good enough recruiter? Let’s look back and see what history has to say.
In general, Campbell has built his teams doing “more with less”.
Iowa State hasn’t had many blue-chip heavy classes under Campbell.
In fact, his 2026 recruiting class was the best that he’s had in Ames and it ranked 50th in the country. However, Iowa State and Penn State are not the same. Iowa doesn’t have the proximity to talent that Pennsylvania does.
Iowa State does not have the money that Penn State does. Iowa State does not have the same appeal that Penn State does.
NFL Success Stories: The Overlooked Gems Campbell Developed
Campbell is a good identifier and developer. He finds the lower-rated gems and makes them stars.
During his 10 years in Ames, Campbell saw 15 Cyclones get drafted.
Filed under one of Campbell’s biggest recruiting wins is Running Back Breece Hall.
Hall is currently one of the best Running Backs in the NFL. Hall chose the Cyclones over Michigan, Baylor, Iowa, and a few others. Hall came in as a 4-star talent and has vastly outplayed that ranking.
Campbell was able to spot his talent and develop it.
Another huge developmental win for Campbell was Running Back David Montgomery.
Montgomery was a very low-rated Running Back out of Ohio with offers from Miami (OH) and Cincinnati, who Campbell took a chance on. It paid off as Montgomery was a 3rd round draft choice and has had a very solid NFL career.
Quarterback Brock Purdy: Mr. Irrelevant’s Development Story
One of, if not the most notable projects for Matt Campbell was Brock Purdy.
Purdy was rated as a low 3-star in the class of 2018. Outside of offers from Alabama and Texas A&M, Purdy was not heavily recruited.
Campbell paired him up with Hall, won lots of games, and landed Purdy to be Mr. Irrelevant in the draft.
Purdy has way over-performed his recruiting rank in the NFL as well.
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Recruiting Question Marks: When Top Talent Didn’t Stick
Although the Cyclones eventually came up short on this one, Matt Campbell was the first to identify and offer star Oregon Tight End Kenyon Sediq.
That speaks to the eye for talent that Campbell has. He can identify talent early.
For as many great gems turned stars as Campbell has had, there are misses, too.
According to 247 Sports, Jirhel Brock was the 2nd highest rated recruit of the Matt Campbell era. He did not perform up to his ranking. Brock was the 11th-rated Running Back in the country. Campbell was able to land him over Notre Dame, Indiana, Iowa, and a few others.
However, Brock only ended up rushing for 713 yards and 4 touchdowns in his Cyclone career. As big a recruiting win as it was for Campbell, Brock did not live up to his hype.
The highest-ranked recruit of Campbell’s tenure was Quarterback JJ Kohl. Kohl was a bonified blue blue-chipper with SEC offers and a varying degrees of interest.
However, despite being the 11th-rated Quarterback in the class of 2023, Kohl was beat out by Rocco Becht and transferred to Appalachian State.
The Penn State Challenge: Resources, Footprint, and Ceiling
There are several other misses and hits of Campbell’s career.
One thing is certain. Campbell can scout, secure, and develop overlooked players in the high school ranks.
However, he hasn’t had the best luck developing his most talented players.
Campbell’s recruiting at Penn State will need to continue to tick up if Penn State wants to win a national championship down the road.
EXCLUSIVE: “Campbell Is the BEST Coach”—Why 4-Star Will Slagle Will Still Open Up His Recruitment
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Ian Purdy covers Penn State Football Recruiting for NittanyCentral.
Purdy was born and raised in central Ohio and served for four years writing for his high school's newsletter. Currently studying Biblical Studies at Lancaster Bible College in Pennsylvania, Ian has been a lifelong Nittany Lion fan.
- ‘Attack More Than Us’: Can Matt Campbell’s Iowa State Blueprint Recruit Blue-Chip Talent at Penn State? - December 9, 2025
- EXCLUSIVE: “Campbell Is the BEST Coach”—Why 4-Star Will Slagle Will Still Open Up His Recruitment - December 6, 2025
- ‘His Culture? Tough’: In-State Recruits React to Matt Campbell’s Hire at Penn State [EXCLUSIVE] - December 5, 2025
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