The annual preseason college football coaches poll was released, and Penn State was included despite a disastrous 2025 season.
On Tuesday, Penn State was ranked No. 17. Eight Big Ten schools were included in the Top 25 poll, with Ohio State atop the list.
Last season, the Nittany Lions were ranked third overall in the same preseason poll, which was not indicative of the season the team had. The Nittany Lions finished 7-6 overall and 3-6 in conference play. Longtime head coach James Franklin was dismissed in the middle of the season. Former Iowa State coach Matt Campbell was hired in December to take over the program.
“Over the past six months, we’ve been reminded every day why Penn State was the right fit,” said Campbell during Big Ten media day last week. “The history is special. The tradition is special. But what really resonated with me is how Penn State has always valued integrity, character, and class at its best.”
It seems Campbell’s peers believe he can help the program bounce back. To do so, he will lean on some familiar faces, as 24 Iowa State players followed Campbell to Penn State through the transfer portal, including starting quarterback Rocco Becht.
In 12 games last season, playing with a torn labrum on his nonthrowing shoulder, Becht threw for 2,584 yards and 16 touchdowns. He is the winningest returning quarterback in college football.
Quarterback Rocco Becht followed Matt Campbell to Penn State.Carolyn Kaster
“We have our goals in mind, and that’s to win a Big Ten championship and ultimately get to the College Football Playoff to have a chance to win a national championship,” Becht previously told the Inquirer. “With the team that we have now, I think we’re fully capable of doing that. Everybody just has to buy in, be consistent with the standards, and I think we’ll be in good hands.”
Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti addressed the media Tuesday in Chicago, and emphasized that the conference has never been in a better position.
Big Ten schools have won the past three national championships in football — Indiana (2025), Ohio State (2024), and Michigan (2023) — and it continues to try to influence the future of college athletics.
Petitti discussed the proposed Protect College Sports Act and said the Big Ten continues to withhold support until it can review amendments made to the bill’s language.
“Over the past 10 days, there have been hundreds of phone calls discussing key aspects of the bill,” Petitti said. “It is important to understand that this bill sets forth very specific language on how college sports will operate going forward. After a lot of productive work, it is absolutely imperative that we see the amended language of the bill. We cannot change our position until we see the amended bill and have an opportunity to share it with our leadership. And I will say … we expect to see the amended bill shortly.”
Petitti said the Big Ten has been in communication with lawmakers about the proposed changes and believes progress has been made.
“There seems to be alignment in the direction with the senators,” Petitti said. “They understand our issues. I think we’ve been aligned with the SEC in pointing those out, which is really the case on most of the stuff around the bill and even really working together.”
Later, new Penn State coach Matt Campbell, along with offensive tackle Anthony Donkoh, quarterback Rocco Becht, and linebacker Tony Rojas, took the floor to answer questions. Here were the most notable takeaways:
Decision to leave Iowa State
Campbell was hired on Dec. 5, 2025, after James Franklin was fired midway through his 12th season. Campbell was the winningest coach in Iowa State history, recorded more than half of the school’s Big 12 wins, and reached the conference championship in 2024.
A common question throughout Campbell’s tenure with the Cyclones was whether he would leave for another coaching opportunity. Campbell reportedly was offered an eight-year, $68.5 million contract to be the Detroit Lions’ head coach in 2021 and initially accepted the offer before deciding to remain at Iowa State.
Campbell was the Cyclones’ head coach from 2016 to 2025 and amassed a 72-55 record while winning Big 12 Coach of the Year three times. So the decision to leave Iowa State was a big one for him.
“If we were ever going to leave, it had to be for a place that aligned with my beliefs about culture, leadership, and building a football program,” Campbell said. “Over the past six months, we’ve been reminded every day why Penn State was the right fit. The history is special. The tradition is special. But what really resonated with me is how Penn State has always valued integrity, character, and class at its best.”
Campbell said he is focused on building a program centered on young men who value doing the right thing on and off the field, have a genuine passion for football, and are committed to receiving a meaningful education.
“While many things surrounding college football continue to change, winning football games has not,” Campbell said. “Neither has my belief in how you build a football program. I still believe it’s my responsibility to help turn young men into great husbands, great fathers, and great leaders. That responsibility hasn’t changed, and it’s one I embrace every day. At Penn State, we’ve chosen a culture that embraces doing what’s hard rather than what’s easy. We want people who are chasing something greater than simply winning football games.”
Bringing Iowa State with him
Campbell brought 24 players from Iowa State with him, including Becht, who is the winningest returning quarterback in college football.
Becht spent much of the spring recovering from surgery on his left, nonthrowing shoulder and was unable to participate in spring practices.
“I wasn’t able to do a lot in spring football,” Becht said. “So I think that ultimately helped me become a better leader off the field. To lead off the field, I had to make those meetings with the guys, with the running backs, with the receivers, with the tight ends, because all that offense was so new to them that I was probably, when the coaches are gone, the next resource to help them gain that knowledge of the offense. And so that was my mentality of going into the spring ball was how much time can I get with those guys off the field so then ultimately when I got back onto the field, that relationship just clicked.”
"That's a guy that we want to play for, somebody that knows where we came from."
Taylor Mouser, Ryan Clanton, and Deon Broomfield joined Campbell’s coaching staff from Iowa State. Becht said one of the factors that went into following Campbell to Penn State was the type of person he is off the field.
“[The coaches] are down to earth and people of relationships,” Becht said. “They don’t just care about you as a football player, they care about you as a person as well. And that’s something that I wanted to experience for my last year in college football.”
Defensive changes
Campbell also discussed new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn. Lynn had spent the past three seasons as a defensive coordinator at Big Ten foes UCLA and Southern Cal.
“He understands this conference, the style of play, and what it takes to build great defenses,” Campbell said.
Lynn is a Penn State graduate who was a cornerback from 2008 to 2011. He recorded 162 tackles, including seven tackles for loss, four interceptions, and one fumble recovery in 47 games, while starting 37 of his last 38 games.
“He understands what it means to play here and what it means to lead here. He and his family have a deep passion for Penn State and the community,” Campbell said. “Beyond that, he’s an outstanding teacher. He’s assembled an excellent staff around him and has already made a tremendous impact on our players. Those qualities made him the right fit.”
Along with the new defensive coordinator, Campbell is moving away from the 3-3-5 defense he used at Iowa State. During his time at Toledo and throughout his first two seasons at Iowa State, he primarily used a four-down front with multiple variations before evolving into the defense for which they became known.
“As the Big 12 evolved with more multiple tight-end sets and more pro-style offenses, we found ourselves naturally moving back toward four-down fronts in certain situations, anyway,” Campbell said. “When we got to Penn State, we evaluated who we are, what our personnel looks like, and what gives us the best opportunity to succeed.”
Variety in their defense is important, Campbell said, but the foundation will begin with a four-down front.
Keeping Terry Smith
One of the most important aspects of taking the Penn State job was keeping Terry Smith on the coaching staff, Campbell said.
“Watching him lead Penn State through a difficult stretch at the end of last season only reinforced my respect for him,” Campbell said. “It wasn’t an easy situation, but Terry steadied the program and gave us a strong foundation moving forward.”
Last season, Terry Smith led Penn State to a win over Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl.Adam Hunger
Smith served as the associate head coach and cornerbacks coach before being named the interim head coach after Franklin was fired. Rojas said Smith taking on the interim role brought life to the locker room.
“Everyone wanted to play for each other and wanted to play for him,” Rojas said. “Especially the last bowl game, we’re all super excited to get that last one for him. So I think just keeping him on our staff has been a big blessing.”
Smith was a wide receiver at Penn State from 1987 to 1991.
For the Palestra’s 100th anniversary, Penn State is returning to the storied arena to face a Keystone State rival, Pittsburgh.
The matchup will be Nov. 8, and it’s the second straight season in which the programs have played at a neutral site — they faced off at the Giant Center in Hershey on Dec. 21, 2025. Penn State holds an 76-73 advantage all-time over Pitt.
This is also the fifth consecutive season in which the Nittany Lions will play at the Palestra.
— Penn State Men’s Basketball (@PennStateMBB) July 9, 2026
“Games like this are what college basketball is all about,” Penn State coach Mike Rhoades wrote in a release. “Great history, passionate fan bases, and high-level competition. The Palestra is one of the most iconic venues in college basketball, and the opportunity to celebrate its 100th anniversary while renewing an in-state rivalry for the 150th time makes this a special event for everyone connected to our program.
Pitt coach Jeff Capel added: “Every basketball player and coach in this country understands the significance of playing at the Palestra. It’s one of the great venues in the history of the sport, and to play Penn State there in its 100th Anniversary year is a truly unique opportunity. Our players will be walking into a building with a century of history behind it, and after the atmosphere we saw in Hershey last year, I can’t wait to see the energy our fans bring to a place like the Palestra.”
The matchup is the second major addition to the Palestra’s 100th anniversary slate announced this week. On Tuesday, Penn announced that its annual Cathedral Classic will expand from four to five teams, ditching its round-robin format. The event, which is Nov. 27-28, will feature host Penn, La Salle, Bucknell, Buffalo, and Towson.
Penn announced in January that the Palestra’s anniversary celebration will begin in late August.
Tessa Janecke has had no shortage of big moments this year, from winning gold with the United States women’s hockey team at the Winter Olympics in Milan to playing in the Frozen Four on home ice in State College.
On Tuesday night she added another, as Las Vegas of the Professional Women’s Hockey League selected Janecke with the third overall pick of the PWHL draft.
The new team in Las Vegas was the fourth team to be announced as part of the league’s second round of expansion for the 2026-27 season, its fourth. which takes the league from eight teams to 12. Detroit; Hamilton, Ontario; and San Jose, Calif., are the other three.
The Vancouver Goldeneyes picked Wisconsin star Caroline Harvey first overall. Minnesota’s Abbey Murphy went second to the Seattle Torrent, and Wisconsin’s Laila Edwards (San Jose) and Lacey Eden (Las Vegas) rounded out the top five.
After helping lead Penn State to its first women’s Frozen Four appearance, Janecke says she knows what it’s like to help build a program and is prepared to do the same in Vegas.
“Me and my class have kind of built that place into what it is today, and hopefully into what it continues to be, and I’m really excited to be able to do that with Las Vegas as well,” Janecke said.
Janecke added: “It takes so much hard work and adversity, even if you’re not winning games, to still make those around you feel like they belong and feel that sense of community in the team.”
As Penn State’s leading goal scorer last season with 26 goals, the 5-foot-8 forward also led the team in points (48) and finished with 201 career points, the most ever for a Penn State hockey player.
Tessa Janecke (right) finished with five assists in seven games for the U.S. women’s hockey team in the Winter Olympics earlier this year.Hassan Ammar
She also became the first Penn State athlete to win a gold medal in the Winter Olympics and had five assists in the United States’ seven games in Milan.
Janecke also played for Team USA in the 2025 IIHF World Championships, where she scored the golden goal.
The Orangeville, Ill., native was named to the Atlantic Hockey America conference first team four times and won three straight AHA player and forward of the year awards, making her the second woman in the conference to achieve that feat. She also became the first Penn State women’s player to be a top-three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, given to the top women’s college player. She was a top-10 finalist the previous two seasons.
Janecke said she plans to carry her experience from Penn State to the next level.
“I think there’s an edge to Penn State that people don’t always realize,” Janecke said. “They kind of fly under the radar. Maybe that’s a good thing and a bad thing, but I think I’m going to take that 200-foot play that I’ve developed at Penn State and bring that to Las Vegas.”
Penn State representation and a local connection
Wynnewood’s Grace Dwyer, a Harriton High School graduate, also was drafted in the first round, 10th overall to the Boston Fleet.
The blueliner had 76 points (18 goals, 58 assists) during her four-year career at Cornell and was first-team All-Ivy last season. She also previously played for the Philadelphia Junior Flyers, along with Penn State’s Leah Stecker, who went 27th overall to Boston in the third round.
Stecker, one of seven Nittany Lions to be drafted — the most from any one college — was a four-year contributor and played in all of Penn State’s games over the last three seasons.
Penn State’s Katie DeSa (35) and Leah Stecker were selected Wednesday in the PWHL draft.Craig Houtz / For The Inquirer
The Randolph, N.J., native finished her career with 57 points (12 goals, 45 assists), but was most productive in the defensive zone, with 83 career blocks.
Maddy Christian, an Elk River, Minn., native, also was drafted in the third round to her hometown team, the Minnesota Frost. She had 84 points (46 goals, 38 assists) and 86 blocks in four seasons at Penn State.
Goalie Katie DeSa was drafted with the first pick of the fourth round by the Goldeneyes after finishing her career with the most shutouts in program history (25). She also was AHA Goaltender of the Year in back-to-back seasons and had a career .932 save percentage.
Forward Katelyn Roberts was taken 43rd overall in the fourth round by the New York Sirens. She scored a career-best 16 goals as a senior and set a program record for most single-season game-winning goals (seven), which was tied for the second-most nationally. She is one of six players in program history to record at least 100 career points.
In the fifth round, Kendall Butze joined Janecke with Las Vegas. Butze was named the AHA’s best defensemen in back-to-back seasons and is Penn State’s all-time leader in points by a defenseman (94).
Hamilton, one of the other expansion teams, nabbed Mya Vaslet in the sixth round (66th overall). Vaslet, who’s from Sittsville, Ontario, finished with 60 points (30 goals, 30 assists) in 149 games with the Nittany Lions.
