Matt Campbell is taking a patient approach with his rebuilt Penn State staff and roster
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — For the last five months as construction cranes have swung steel beams and other fortifications into place at Beaver Stadium, Matt Campbell has undertaken a massive construction project of his own. Campbell, who became Penn State’s football coach in December, has assembled an all-new staff and rebuilt a roster with new faces from all over the country.
By the time Penn State finishes the $700 million renovation of its massive stadium for the start of the season, Campbell believes the new-look Nittany Lions will be ready to compete and it will be thanks to a patient approach. “I am a believer that you always start back over at square one and rebuild your way through it,” Campbell said. “I think, even as a head coach, you’re always self-reflecting what went well, what didn’t go well?
How do we be better, and what does this team need? ” After 12 years in which the Nittany Lions won just four of 25 games against AP Top 10 opponents, this program needed a refresh. Former coach James Franklin was fired midway through the fall after the Nittany Lions quickly squandered a No.
2 preseason ranking with an 0-3 start to Big Ten play. Penn State finished 6-6 and beat Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl under interim coach Terry Smith. Penn State took two months to find Franklin’s successor, rankling fans who just a year before watched their team come one game shy of playing for the national championship.
Now that spring practice is winding down, those who were here before feel like they’re starting anew. “It’s a new year,” sophomore wide receiver Koby Howard said. “Forget about last year and whatever happened last year.