Penn State's new head coach Matt Campbell is methodically constructing his staff with zero carryover from the James Franklin era confirmed as of this morning. The former Iowa State coach, who signed a deal worth approximately $7 million annually through 2030, is hiring coordinators first and position coaches second—a sequencing that creates a two-week window where Franklin's displaced assistants are shopping themselves to programs that missed on their first choices.
Campbell brought offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone from Iowa State, defensive coordinator Jon Heacock from his previous Cyclones tenure, and special teams coordinator Joe Houston, also from Ames. None of Franklin's ten on-field assistants have been retained. Offensive line coach Phil Trautwein, who coached four All-Big Ten selections in five years, is interviewing at Wisconsin and Louisville. Defensive backs coach Terry Smith, recruited by three SEC programs in December, is expected to land at Tennessee by week's end. Wide receivers coach Marques Hagans, a Virginia alumnus, is being pursued by Tony Elliott at UVA.
The financial mechanics matter. Penn State owes Franklin's retained assistants nothing—their contracts terminated when he left for Florida State—but Campbell's budget for ten on-field coaches is capped at $6.8 million, roughly $400,000 below what Franklin spent in 2024. That compression forces trade-offs. Campbell is targeting younger hires in non-coordinator roles, often assistants under 40 with Group-of-Five coordinator experience. He interviewed Kent State offensive line coach Mike Fendley and Toledo defensive ends coach Vince Kehres this week, both earning under $250,000 at their current stops.
The talent pipeline is the constraint Campbell inherits. Penn State signed the No. 8 recruiting class in 2025 under Franklin, but six four-star commits have entered the transfer portal since Campbell's hire, including offensive tackle Alex Birchmeier and linebacker Ta'Mere Robinson. Campbell's Iowa State classes ranked between No. 38 and No. 47 nationally during his tenure; his staff will need to re-recruit Pennsylvania's top high school coaches who built relationships with Franklin's assistants over a decade. That relationship capital doesn't transfer. Springfield High School coach Tim Rimpfel, whose program produced five Penn State signees since 2020, told a Harrisburg radio station he hasn't heard from anyone in State College since December 18.
Campbell's staff construction also signals his offensive identity. Mazzone runs an up-tempo spread system that averaged 34.2 points per game at Iowa State but ranked 94th nationally in rushing efficiency. Penn State returns quarterback Drew Allar, who threw for 3,192 yards last season, but loses both starting guards and its lead tailback. Mazzone's track record with transfer quarterbacks—he coached Brock Purdy at Iowa State and Dillon Gabriel at UCLA—suggests Penn State may pursue a portal addition even with Allar rostered.
The next dominoes are position coaches. Campbell needs to fill receivers, running backs, tight ends, offensive line, defensive line, linebackers, and defensive backs. His timeline compresses because the spring transfer portal window opens February 1, and Penn State's spring practice starts March 3. Assistants hired after mid-February miss the critical two-week window when transfers take campus visits and coaches build recruiting relationships with high school juniors ahead of the spring evaluation period.
What to watch: Campbell will likely name his offensive line and defensive line coaches by January 27, ahead of National Signing Day's administrative deadlines. Penn State's recruiting budget for official visits in February is $180,000, and how Campbell allocates those spots—high school juniors versus transfer targets—will clarify whether he's building for 2025 or 2026. Franklin's former defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, now at Duke, has already contacted three of Campbell's uncommitted recruits.
The clock is the opponent. Campbell has 38 days until spring practice and a roster with 22 scholarship players in the transfer portal. His staff hires in the next two weeks determine whether Penn State fields a coherent depth chart by September or spends 2025 learning a system with assistants who met their position groups in March.
The takeaway
Campbell's zero-holdover staff and compressed **$6.8M** assistant budget create a February scramble to re-recruit Pennsylvania pipelines before the spring portal opens.
penn statematt campbellcoaching hiresbig tenstaff buildouttransfer portal
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