How did Penn State get here? Matt Campbell’s rebuild already faces a reckoning

How did Penn State obtain here? Matt Campbell's rebuild already faces a reckoning.

Key points

• The program was ineligible for a bowl game in 2012 and 2013 after NCAA sanctions after the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
• The offense ranks 13th in the Major Ten at 384.1 yards per game and 5.8 yards per play.
• Predicted to hit the ground running in former Iowa State coach Matt Campbell's debut season – the Nittany Lions were No.
• Franklin has since landed at Virginia Tech, where he's posted a 6-2 mark and has the Hokies on the verge of a national ranking.
• The shock of Franklin's dismissal was exacerbated by a 59-day coaching search orchestrated by athletics director Pat Kraft.

One barometer of Penn State's season has been the number of empty seats inside Beaver Stadium.

While the venue continues to crowd in major attendance numbers, including a stadium-record 114, 419 unveiled fans for a recent game against Southern California, there have been noticeable chunks of unfilled seating during the team's other two conference home games.

There is a key underlying factor. Beaver Stadium is undergoing a $700 million renovation, shaking up the traditional gameday experience and leading to some discontentment among season-ticket holders who could have to pay double or even triple for the same seats for the 2027 season.

Latest: Matt Campbell won't bench Rocco Becht. Penn State fans deserve to know why. And there's another significant dynamic at play: Penn State is losing.

Predicted to hit the ground running in former Iowa State coach Matt Campbell's debut season – the Nittany Lions were No. 16 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll – Penn State has dropped all four games in Major Ten play heading into Saturday's must-have home matchup against Purdue.

Instead of taking advantage of a relatively straightforward conference schedule, the Nittany Lions have been one of the biggest disappointments in the Power Four, triggering uncomfortable questions concerning the state of the program and Campbell's blueprint for reversing a slide that dates to the start of last season.

"I really try to take it week to week with our football team, where are we, how do we continue to move ourselves forward, " Campbell remarked Tuesday.

"I think this is a flip to the third quarter of our season and where are we. I still think there's things for us, that the goal that we set out first and foremost is the identity of our football program moving forward. Who do we want to be. What do we want to become. This is the vision of where we want to be." James Franklin firing, long search hang over Penn State.

Last October, Penn State fired James Franklin against the backdrop of a three-game losing streak that would grow to six games before the team rallied to reach bowl eligibility under an interim coach. Franklin has since landed at Virginia Tech, where he's posted a 6-2 mark and has the Hokies on the verge of a national ranking.

Meanwhile, the shock of Franklin's dismissal was exacerbated by a 59-day coaching search orchestrated by athletics director Pat Kraft. Before landing Campbell, Penn State had to accord with the public embarrassment of seeing multiple established coaches parlay the opening into lucrative contract extensions.

"It began when James was fired 15 minutes before a team gathering. The process was not a smooth one. So to obtain off on a bad start for a coaching search is never a good thing, " stated Major Ten Network analyst and former Indiana coach Gerry DiNardo. "Not that Matt Campbell isn't the right guy. It seemed to me that the background of that firing set a tone."

Since of this winding search, Campbell was straightforward to categorize as a consolation prize. That overshadowed a unique résumé of success at one of the most historically subdued programs in the Power Four. Over his decade in charge, Iowa State set new records for most conference wins in a season, most overall wins in a season and the highest final ranking in program history.

Nonetheless, the draw was clear: Campbell had done more with less with the Cyclones and was now given access to dramatically deeper resources with the Nittany Lions. Furthermore, Campbell would be able to tap into his former Iowa State roster through the transfer portal, adding crucial schematic experience and Power Four starting experience to the roster.

Importantly, he would be able to add his former quarterback, Rocco Becht. This person came into the 2026 season leading all active Bowl Subdivision quarterbacks with 46 career starts and 29 wins.

But this much is obvious after seven games: Penn State simply isn't talented enough to compete at a high level in the Major Ten. Penn State's talent level 'needs to be built'.

Meanwhile, the belief that the influx of Iowa State talent would boost Penn State's chances has already been proven wrong in two respects.

For one, the Nittany Lions' 24-player transfer haul from Iowa State has been exposed in the transition from the Major 12 to the Sizeable Ten, providing a telling glimpse into the wide gap separating these two Power Four leagues.

"The roster needs to be built, " DiNardo remarked. "They're not talented, competitive enough with the best teams in the country, teams in the conference. They need to build their talent base."

This roster is weakest on the offensive line. Never a concrete strength during the Franklin era, this year's offensive front has taken a clear step back. The Nittany Lions are averaging just 2.5 yards per rush in Major Ten play, last in the conference.

Penn State swept Marshall, Temple and Buffalo in non-conference play. But the Nittany Lions averaged just 3.6 yards per play in a 24-20 loss to Wisconsin. Then offered up 413 rushing yards in a crushing 34-13 loss to No. 18 Northwestern. Then allowed 430 yards and 6.8 yards per play in a 31-23 loss to No. 25 Southern California. In their last game two weeks ago, the Nittany Lions allowed just 90 yards passing but still fell 21-18 to a Michigan team discovered life after turning to freshman quarterback Tommy Carr in the second half.

"Do I think it's a coaching matter? No, " remarked DiNardo. "What Matt Campbell did at Iowa State, you can see why he'd be an attractive candidate. I think what caught everybody by surprise is by the time he coached his first game, it wasn't probably as talented as any of (Franklin's) teams."

With five games to play in the regular season – Purdue, Washington, Minnesota, Rutgers and Maryland – Penn State is in danger of falling short of bowl eligibility for the first time in a full season since 2004. The program was ineligible for a bowl game in 2012 and 2013 after NCAA sanctions after the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

In an era of intense expectations and the thirst for immediate results, this failed debut has already cast doubt over the emerging Campbell era. Penn State slumps while other Major Ten program surge.

Penn State's worrisome start is contrasted by historic turnarounds being performed elsewhere in the Major Ten.

After regarding a century as a Sizeable Ten doormat, No. 4 Indiana has gone 33-3 under coach Curt Cignetti, capturing last year's national championship. No. 7 UCLA is the only unbeaten team in the Major Ten and a genuine College Football Playoff contender in former James Madison coach Bob Chesney's first year.

Unlike the Nittany Lions, Northwestern has taken advantage of an easier schedule. Wisconsin has climbed the conference standings after giving more resources to coach Luke Fickell. This person began the year under pressure.

Throughout the board, there's been a dramatic shift in how first-year Power Four coaches are perceived. As has Campbell, gone are the days of the extended rebuild; coaches are projected to win early, and those who don't come under climbed scrutiny.

"I think there are too plenty of examples of first-year coaches doing it now, right away. That's the bar now, " DiNardo remarked. "I think people expect better results right away." And the results for Penn State have been terrible.

Meanwhile, the offense ranks 13th in the Major Ten at 384.1 yards per game and 5.8 yards per play. Those totals drop to 303.3 yards per game and 4.6 yards per play in conference action.

Penn State has managed just three touchdowns in the second half against Major Ten competition.

Defensively, only seven Power Four teams have allowed more rushing yards than the Nittany Lions (1, 206) and just four have given up more than the Nittany Lions' 4.9 yards per carry.

Since giving up the go-ahead touchdown late in the fourth quarter of the Major Ten opener against Wisconsin, Penn State has been in the lead for 32 minutes and 49 seconds of a feasible 180 minutes of game time, with almost all of that time coming during the first half of the eventual loss to Michigan. Purdue game looms pivotal for Penn State. Still, Penn State players are trying to stay positive.

"A lot of people kind of take away the fun and the joy from this just because we have some losses, " remarked potential All-America linebacker Tony Rojas. "But I think just being able to still have fun, lean on each other and play for each other, and at the end of the day no one's gonna feel sorry for us."

As negative as things seem, the outlook on this season would take an even darker turn with a loss to the Boilermakers. This person already have two Major Ten wins after posting none over the past two years.

But that's where things stand just past the midway point of Campbell's debut: Penn State has to stop this slide and develop some positive momentum before the current discontentment turns to outrage.

I said this uniquely at Iowa State: I felt like we had to rebuild our program three different times, remarked Campbell. When I took over as the head football coach at Toledo, you felt like you had to rebuild the program kind of where it was.

"I feel like going through those experiences has certainly supported you with the dynamic of this experience. Again, what are you trying to obtain out of year number one? What are you trying to obtain out of building a football team and a program? How do you not waver and flinch when adversity hits?" Share your feedback to support improve our site!

In short, how did Penn State get here? Matt Campbell's rebuild already faces a is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.