Matt Campbell Called Out Texas, Ohio State In His Message To Recruits

Sports admin October 13, 2026 0 Comments

Matt Campbell Called Out Texas, Ohio State In His Message To Recruits

Matt Campbell mentioned two major college football destinations when underscoring the sport’s significance at Penn State.

Alfie Burch, the father of four-star edge rusher Asa Burch, posted a video of Campbell speaking to high school recruits. The first-year Nittany Lions head coach emphasized how much the team means to the area, suggesting that may not be true at Texas or Ohio State.

“One of the really cool things that we have here is you’re talking about one of the greatest communities in all of college football sport,” Campbell said. “Now, this is College Football Town, USA. We are not living in Austin, Texas, or Columbus, Ohio, where you’re just part of it. We are it.

“So how you move, how you carry yourself. Man, everywhere our guys go, everybody knows who they are. For some people, that’s really good. For some people, hey, that’s not how you want to live. But I’d rather be honest with you because if you use your platform to create real change, it’s really, really powerful.”

Campbell’s message to recruits

Campbell identified character as one of the values he “relentlessly” looks for in potential players. That includes their ability to respond to hardships.

“Every week, adversity is showing up,” Campbell said. “Tough situations are happening, individually and collectively for a team. And to me, the teams that have unbelievable character are the ones that still persevere and reach their full potential.”

He also wants players who take pride in community involvement. Campbell told recruits that playing at Happy Valley could set them up for long-term success beyond the gridiron if they conduct themselves properly.

“You just do the right things, you carry yourself the right way, you treat people the right way, you should literally be set for the rest of your life using this platform,” Campbell said.

Campbell started his Penn State tenure with three straight wins, but the Nittany Lions have dropped their last three games. It’s probably for the best that he didn’t mention Ann Arbor, as they go to Michigan to play the Wolverines this Saturday.

This story was originally published October 13, 2026 at 6:24 PM.