How Matt Campbell is Blending Loyalty and Penn State Football Legacy in Happy Valley

Former Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht, who followed Campbell from Ames to State College already sees the seeds of a renewed competitive culture taking root for a Nittany Lions roster that’s a legitimate blend of former Cyclones and returning players.

However, in addition to taking the time to meet with every player on the roster multiple times since his arrival as head coach, Campbell is also opening up the doors to the football headquarters to the Letterman who established Penn State’s winning tradition in the first place.

D’Anton Lynn says Matt Campbell made Penn State return an easy call

Beyond inviting the former players who helped define what Penn State Football has come to be, Campbell made an aggressive push to convince former USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn to return to his Alma Mater to help build out the next generation of what they hope are elite Blue and White defenses.

“The more I talked to Coach Campbell, it reminded me of why I went to Penn State as a high school recruit,” Lynn recently told ESPN. “His vision for the program. … I just felt like, ‘Man, this guy’s a perfect fit for Penn State.’ The culture is going to be different. The atmosphere is going to be different — I just really wanted to be a part of what he was going to do here.”

Lynn starred at Penn State, from 2008 through 2011, and having witnessed one of the most tumultuous periods in the program’s history in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky Child Sex Abuse Scandal, the former USC playcaller is eager to once again lead a transition into a new era of Nittany Lions football.

According to ESPN’s Jake Trotter, that started with Campbell asking Lynn to give an extra push to Campbell’s former Iowa State stars who were in the transfer portal to follow him to Happy Valley.

“I’m getting my recruiting hat on, getting ready to recruit these kids here,” Lynn said. “Every single one of them essentially told me, ‘Coach, I appreciate you calling, but it didn’t matter who the defensive coordinator was going to be. I was going to Penn State because I trust Coach Campbell.’ That’s what every single kid told me. I never heard players respect a coach the way those Iowa State kids respected him.”

By honoring the giants of Penn State’s past while bringing a trusted inner circle into the present, Matt Campbell isn’t just coaching a team … he’s rebuilding a powerhouse from the DNA up.

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