Penn State football plays a game in nine days, folks.

That might be easy to forget with the sheer amount of change in the Nittany Lions’ staff. Matt Campbell has already hired 13 coaches for his first Penn State staff, with a mix of Iowa State familiars and some Penn State retainees.

The Nittany Lions have also landed four recruits since Campbell took the reins. However, there’s still a full locker room of players who have spent the last few weeks preparing for the Pinstripe Bowl and taking in all of the change in the Lasch Building.

Here’s what some players had to say about their first impressions and personal meetings with Campbell.

Ethan Grunkemeyer

Perhaps the biggest question revolving around the 2026 season is about quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer. After a solid showing in relief of Drew Allar for the second half of the year, Grunkemeyer showed he has what it takes to command the Penn State offense. Whether or not Campbell and Co. see him as part of their long-term project, however, is up for contention.

“Definitely starting talks on what that plan is, obviously not in full capacity yet just because of the nature. We’re still in the season,” Grunkemeyer said on Zoom Wednesday. “Obviously, wants me to still focus on that, getting this last win.”

Grunkemeyer also mentioned that he’s talked to new offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser as well. He said he thinks he’d be a good fit in Mouser and Campbell’s system, naming his ability to distribute balls to playmakers on the edge as a commonality between the two.

Grunkemeyer has appreciated how all of the new coaches have stepped back and allowed the Nittany Lions to handle their business without too much interference. They meet with players whenever possible, but understand that the current squad is still trying to rattle off a win to close out the season.

Grunkemeyer and Campbell’s history together goes further back, though. The quarterback said he always had a good impression of Campbell through recruiting and that he admires the culture he’s built at Iowa State.

“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,” Grunkemeyer said.

The redshirt freshman said he hasn’t made a decision for 2026 and is looking to find the “best situation possible.”

King Mack

Junior safety King Mack said he was impressed by Campbell in their first conversation, citing his honesty as one of the coach’s best characteristics.

“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,” Mack said. “[Campbell] plans on changing the culture, and I feel like the plan that he has is a great plan. All we need to do is just have everyone buy in. Everyone buys in, there’s no reason we shouldn’t be where we’re supposed to be.”

Mack had a lot of choice words for Penn State’s season and the reasons it fell off the rails. He said there was a lack of leadership that was exemplified in the leaked team meeting audio in the days leading up to Campbell’s hiring. He said Campbell is trying to rid the program of its leadership issues immediately before making more important roster decisions.

“He said straight up he doesn’t want no one who doesn’t want to be here to be here. We had a team meeting and they made it very clear, like ‘If you don’t want to be here, the door is open,'” Mack said.

Mack also commended the culture Campbell built at Iowa State and the hiring of Cyclones safeties coach Deon Broomfield. He said he’s “honestly excited” to continue talking and working with him.

“Everyone loved each other. Everyone got coach. I could just imagine the coaching that they did over there with not half of the talent that we have here. If they were able to be successful, that means there’s no reason we shouldn’t be able to be with the talent that we have,” Mack said.

Mack said he hasn’t made a decision for next year and that he’s locked in on Clemson.