Regardless of whether Penn State stuck with James Franklin or moved on to Matt Campbell, this was always going to be a busy season. The 2025 roster was loaded with seniors and draft-eligible juniors that the staff would be tasked with replacing. That was kicked into overdrive though by the coaching change.
Luckily, Matt Campbell and general manager Derek Hoodjer, have nearly an entire roster Iowa State roster to pick from. No program in the country had more players enter the portal than Iowa State’s 47 this offseason, and already, just three days into college football’s lone transfer portal window, many of them have committed to Penn State, making Happy Valley, at least for one season, Ames East.