Penn State fans got used to a few set-in-stone slogans and philosophies on the recruiting trail under James Franklin.
Whether it was “The best in PA, stay in PA,” “We’re a developmental program” or whatever favorite you’ll remember most from the past 11-plus years, Franklin stuck to his bread and butter.
That seemingly won’t be the case anymore under new head coach Matt Campbell. He dove deeply into his recruiting philosophy — about high schools, transfers and NIL money — at this week’s introductory press conference.
And though he didn’t give a Franklin slogan, he did advocate quite staunchly for local preps football.
“I think one of the great reasons being here is, boy, you’re in the most fertile ground of the excellence of high school football in a six-to-eight-hour radius,” Campbell said. “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.”
Campbell operated with fewer resources at Iowa State than many Power Four schools, thus making it imperative to capitalize on the talent they brought in. He pounded the table on that fact Monday.
“Nobody will be better at developing our student-athletes and our high school football players than us,” Campbell said. “We’ve proven that every step of the way. I think you can ask Brock Purdy, Breece Hall, David Montgomery, Will McDonald IV.
“The flash, the stars, that’s cool on signing day, but winning football games on Saturday is what we’re going to be about. That’s development. We’re going to have to be better than anybody in college football.”
Under Franklin, Penn State was generally not open to bringing in huge transfer portal classes. He preferred to fill obvious holes on the roster and keep his high school recruits around in hopes of future development.
Campbell didn’t outwardly say he’d bring large transfer groups. He also didn’t deny it.
Instead, he made clear his staff was confident in its scouting ability — both in high school and the portal. Iowa State brought in eight transfers in 2025. That was the same number as Penn State.
The Cyclones also added eight transfers in 2024 and five in 2023.
However, athletic director Pat Kraft made it clear after firing Franklin that he was searching for a new leader who could adapt to the modern era. Thus, it’s worth watching whether Campbell’s transfer approach changes a bit in Happy Valley.
“Transfer portal obviously has become a unique advantage probably in some ways, and sometimes can be a disadvantage,” Campbell said. He highlighted his staff’s evaluation and development of wide receiver Jayden Higgins and offensive tackle Jalen Travis, who were not top-ranked transfers but turned into early round NFL Draft picks this past season.
Campbell has brought the leader of his Iowa State recruiting efforts, Derek Hoodjer, with him to Penn State to serve as general manager.
“We have a process,” Campbell said. “We know what we’re looking for in the transfer portal and have to use that to continue to supplement our football team.”
Finally, Franklin — though a solid-to-great recruiter during his time in Happy Valley — was typically unwilling to shell out huge NIL dollars to top high school recruits.
Penn State’s financial backing under Kraft — a reported $30 million for NIL and $17 million for the coaching staff — is making a huge jump moving forward. Campbell will have every chance to attract top talent to Happy Valley.
Is he willing to get it done?
“The financial aspect, I think, is certainly unique. One of the great things that we have here is the sacrifice that Pat and his team have made to be competitive at the highest level, to give yourself a chance to build the best team,” Campbell said. “I think sometimes in college football, we can get lost on the financial piece of it.
“Do I think it’s important? Absolutely. But I think the reality is, that cannot be priority No. 1. I want young men that want to be here at Penn State and want to win championships at Penn State. It has to start there. Obviously, with Pat, what he’s done here to give us a chance to be able to compete with everybody in college football, I’m really grateful for that.”