12/17/25 03:53:00
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12/17 15:52 CST Penn State players are encouraged by their first impressions of
new coach Matt Campbell
Penn State players are encouraged by their first impressions of new coach Matt
Campbell
By TRAVIS JOHNSON
Associated Press
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) --- Trebor Pea has advice for his younger teammates
who must decide soon whether to stay at Penn State and play for new coach Matt
Campbell or look for opportunities elsewhere.
The senior receiver transferred to Penn State in May after experiencing
Syracuse's transition from coach Dino Babers to Fran Brown two seasons ago. He
knows how tough the process can be on players who might feel like they're
starting over from scratch.
"Ultimately, you've got to earn the respect of the new staff again," Pea said.
"They're going to want to bring in their own recruits and transfers and players
from their old team, but ultimately it's about Penn State and playing for this
school and something bigger than yourself. I would say give them a chance and
be ready to work."
Pea is one of about 22 Nittany Lions who are out of eligibility, while two
players as of Wednesday --- defensive back Elliot Washington and tight end Joey
Schlaffer --- announced they are entering the transfer portal, which officially
opens Jan. 2.
Meanwhile, the rest of the rest of the roster is not only preparing for the
Pinstripe Bowl against Clemson on Dec. 27 but also getting to know Campbell and
the coaches he's already brought over from Iowa State, including offensive
coordinator Taylor Mouser, offensive line coach Ryan Clanton and secondary
coach Deon Broomfield.
Penn State has not yet announced the hires, but each coach is listed in the
university's personnel directory with specific job titles matching their
responsibilities.
"He seems like a great guy," senior linebacker Dom DeLuca said of Campbell.
"I'm excited to see what he does here for the program. Just really trying to
get to know him was awesome. He seems like he's really helping trying to do
whatever he can to help the players achieve their goals."
That's what redshirt freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer took away from his
multiple meetings so far with Campbell.
"What stands out is his culture and how he develops quarterbacks, obviously
(current NFL starter) Brock Purdy and what not," Grunkemeyer said. "I think
just from the visits and seeing how he cares for his players always stuck out
to me from watching their games in high school and seeing how he interacts with
them."
Shortly after Campbell was introduced last week as Penn State's 17th head
coach, he sought out every player on the roster, wondering what worked for
them, what didn't and how he could help them move forward.
"It was a great conversation," junior safety King Mack said. "He's very honest.
He's straightforward. He sees where we went wrong this year and his job is to
one, get it fixed as soon as possible and to use all the seniors as one big
group to help us fix all those issues as well."
Campbell's meeting with Grunkemeyer was not an ice-breaking session. The two
were familiar with each other after Campbell recruited the former Ohio high
school star for Iowa State.
Grunkemeyer made an official visit to the Cyclones and attended a football camp
and a game at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames. The Cyclones had filled their
quarterback quota by the time Grunkemeyer was ready to commit to a program,
however.
Grunkemeyer, who completed 92 of 133 passes for 974 with five touchdowns and
four interceptions over his six-game stretch as the starter, said he wants to
remain a starter. He feels like he showed he could run the offense efficiently
in the six-game sample size that saw Penn State go 3-3 and nearly knock off
unbeaten Indiana at home.
While he said he hasn't decided to transfer or stay, Grunkemeyer said his chats
with Mouser and incoming quarterbacks coach Jake Waters have been good.
"They obviously do some really good stuff on offense, so I'm excited about that
and I like the type of people they are and how they carry themselves and what
they've done so far since they've come in," Grunkemeyer said.
___
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