Penn State football is set to wrap up the 2025 season on Saturday, taking on Clemson in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. The Nittany Lions have been through a tumultuous season, but it’s almost time for new head coach Matt Campbell to take full control in Happy Valley.

For now, the building is split between staff working on roster building and retention, and preparing for the upcoming bowl game, Smith said during media availability on Friday. For the most part, the new staff, which has been hired since Campbell took over, is working on retention and 2026, while the old staff works on Clemson.

“The communication has been terrific,” Smith said. “We’re just trying to piece together and retain roster
and bring in new roster players. But he’s been very, very good. The guys that have come with him so far, they’ve been awesome, as well.”

Smith is talking about the numerous assistants hired in the past few weeks to be part of Campbell’s staff. Many of these hires have been from Iowa State, such as Jake Waters as quarterback coach and Taylor Mouser as offensive coordinator.

Campbell has also been building an off-the-field staff to resemble the work of a general manager in the NFL. Jack Griffith from Cincinnati was hired as the assistant general manager, and Derek Hoodjer as associate athletic director for football personnel.

“Derek [Hoodjer] is one of the absolute bright minds in all of football, and is already here with us and started that,” Campbell said. “Now our Derek’s role will be exactly what Pat [Kraft] said.”

In his introductory press conference, Campbell noted the need for a general manager in today’s college football world. The new Penn State head coach is excited to see what he can do with the resources the Nittany Lions have to offer and the advantages a general manager has, he said.

Despite a new era beginning in Happy Valley, the 2025 coaches, whether they will be back with Penn State in 2026 or not, still have one more game to win. One of these coaches, Phil Trautwein, who will move to Florida in 2026, will be with the Nittany Lions, Smith said.

“Coach Trautwein is doing a great job with those guys, just preparing, moving some parts around,” Smith said. “It’s a juggle.”

Trautwein is also actively recruiting for the Gators, with Layton Von Brandt, a former Penn State commit in the 2027 class, posting about receiving a Florida offer from the offensive line coach. Ryan Clanton, formerly of Iowa State, will take over the role in Happy Valley for 2026.

Defensive line coach Deion Barnes is going through the same deal. Smith confirmed on Friday that Barnes is coaching on Saturday and is focused on helping Penn State win. This week, though, Pete Thamel reported for ESPN that he will take the South Carolina job.

On the other hand, some coaches, such as former tight ends coach Ty Howle and quarterbacks coach Danny O’Brien, have already left the program to begin working with their next team. Assistant coaches Trace McSorley and Bill Queisert will step up to be the primary position coaches during the Pinstripe Bowl.

Former defensive coordinator Jim Knowles has also already parted from State College as he prepares for his next role with Tennessee. The Nittany Lions’ safeties coach, Anthony Poindexter, will take over play-calling duties for the Clemson game.

“It’s honestly fun,” King Mack said during media availability. “He’s high energy. He’s gonna keep it short, sweet, and simple. And if you have any questions, or if there’s a call in the playbook that you like, he’s open-minded.”