Matt Campbell says his state roots brought him

Penn State football he got more than a former Big 12 coach to lead the Nittany Lions. Matt Campbell is really making a big jump out of Ames, Iowa to one of the meccas of Big Ten football. But Campbell’s ties to the Keystone State will send shivers down the spines of Nittany Lions fans.

In conversation with Penn State legend LaVar Arrington, Campbell outlined what drew him to State College.

“My grandparents were a huge influence on my life. I grew up in Carmichaels, Pennsylvania. My great-grandfather ran a coal mine and my whole childhood was there,” Campbell began. “And the reality was they were Penn State’s biggest fans.”

Campbell added that he grew up a PSU fan because the Lions were “three hours from my doorstep.” He included how the Keystone State means a lot to him.

But he’s also motivated to “upgrade the culture and expectations plus the excellence of the program.” While he decided he couldn’t turn down the chance to lead PSU.

First steps for Matt Campbell at Penn State

The college football recruiting track growth is usually the first priority for new trainers.

Campbell made good on this Penn State recruiting promise — related to energize high schools in the state of Pennsylvania and other local PSU territories.

“You’re in the most fertile ground for high school football excellence within a six- to eight-hour radius. It’s all going to start with building high school football and continuing to do a great job in this state and our surrounding states. Nobody’s going to attack more than us,” Campbell said, via Daniel Gallen of 247Sports.

Campbell has put together a strong class at ISU despite Ames’ smaller-town atmosphere and being overshadowed by other Big 12 heavyweights. Now he aims to cast a net around a “radius” he described to keep area talent from disappearing.

He will also have to guess College football transfer portal struggling to make his first Lions roster. But the grandson of a coal mine owner is ready to embrace Penn State’s blue-collar culture.