Penn State Fans Already Turning on Matt Campbell

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Penn State Fans Already Turning on Matt Campbell

Originally posted on Mike Farrell Sports
By Mark Pszonak | Last updated Jul 8, 2026 9:41 AM ET

Well, that didn’t take too long. While all of the other new head coaches are enjoying their honeymoon period, at Penn State, Matt Campbell is already under pressure after a recruiting start that many fans are not happy about. That was recently magnified with two additional recruiting losses.

First, a priority at wide receiver, four-star Khalil Taylor (Gibsonia, PA) committed to Nebraska on Monday. This was a loss for a couple of reasons. First, it was an elite in-state who the Nittany Lions couldn’t keep home, and Taylor plays a position that has given Penn State troubles in recent years. Penn State put substantial effort and time into keeping Taylor home and lost the battle to a Big Ten rival.

News got even worse on Tuesday when it was announced that four-star running back Aiden Gibson (Woodruff, SC) had flipped his commitment to another Big Ten rival, Rutgers. Not only had Gibson flipped to Rutgers, but he would also be enrolling as part of the Class of 2026, which made the flip even more surprising.

Losing a consensus Top 10 running back to Rutgers is not something that went over well with the fanbase. Losing elite recruits to schools like Ohio State and Michigan is bad enough, but having it happen to Rutgers was extra salt in the wound.

Overall, Penn State is still tracking towards a solid recruiting class, but there is plenty of anxiety in and around Happy Valley. The likely scenario is for Penn State to try and flip a couple of players, especially at the wide receiver position, but this isn’t a situation that fans thought that they would be in during Campbell’s first recruiting year.

It doesn’t help Campbell that other first-year head coaches are currently thriving. Jon Sumrall (Florida), Alex Golesh (Auburn), Will Stein (Kentucky) and Tosh Lupoi (Cal) are exceeding expectations. And then there are two first-year coaches that are making the situation much worse.

Bob Chesney is putting together one of the most surprising classes in the country at UCLA. Chesney was said to be in contract negotiations with the Nittany Lions before everything fell apart. And then there is James Franklin, who was fired by Penn State during the 2026 season and is currently excelling at Virginia Tech. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, as Franklin was always regarded as a top-level recruiter, but in the summer of 2026, it makes Penn State’s current recruiting inadequacies stand out even more.

Luckily for Campbell, Penn State’s 2026 schedule works in his favor. The Nittany Lions miss Indiana, Ohio State and Oregon. The potential is there for a successful season, which with how the fanbase is currently feeling, is a necessity.

However, if Penn State finishes with another 8-4 or 7-5 regular season, Campbell will quickly realize how different Happy Valley is from Ames, Iowa.

This article first appeared on Mike Farrell Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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