Turning over a new leaf.

Matt Campbell met with the media prior to the kick-off of Penn State football’s spring practice window. He touched on the team’s health, quarterback Rocco Becht, the Blue-White game, and the progress in building the team as a whole.

Here’s a quick rundown of what Campbell said in his time at the stand on Tuesday.

On Rocco Becht

Rocco Becht suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder and an AC joint sprain in his right shoulder last season while at Iowa State. During his first media availability since arriving in Happy Valley on February 26, he said he was going to get back to throwing that weekend for the first time since leaving Ames, Iowa. Becht said he expects to play in over half of Penn State’s spring window.

Campbell provided some updates on the Penn State signal caller’s status as spring ball opens up.

“I think Rocco is a little bit ahead of schedule, in terms of physically, you know, he was able to get out and do some drill work today, some individual. I think the biggest thing for him is he won’t get live reps, but I think things like seven-on-seven, three-over-two routes on air. I do think he’s going to get a lot of that work, which I think will be really, really, good for him,” Campbell said.

Becht has been throwing for a little bit over three weeks to this point. Campbell said the coaching staff wants to be “slow and right” with him, not “fast and wrong.”

First look pic.twitter.com/1g8UC2XL4S

— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) March 24, 2026

On Kashif Moore

Penn State football hired Colorado State’s Kashif Moore as its wide receivers coach following Noah Pauley’s departure to the Green Bay Packers. It was a late change in the coaching staff, but Campbell wanted to fill the spot with the best that college football had to offer.

Campbell said he always admired how Moore used his degree to work in business after his NFL days and really built a life for himself outside of football. He said Moore’s very purposeful in his coaching, and that’s easily seen by the ways players stick with him through their careers, like star UConn wideout Skyler Bell.

Campbell also shouted out wide receivers Chase Sowell, Brett Eskildsen, Koby Howard, and Zay Robinson as new chess pieces for Moore and Becht.

On The Importance Of Spring Practice

Campbell has maintained throughout his entire career that spring ball sets the tone for the entire season. Fifteen practices, fifteen outings, fifteen days create the team’s environment and create the basis of chemistry within a program. That isn’t any different for him at Penn State.

Campbell said spring practice instills discipline in a football team and creates a true sense of stakes. Somebody wins, and somebody loses. But at the end of the day, the only important thing is that the experience helps huddle the team together and figure out how to be stronger. It’s his job to identify gaps and fill them down the road.

On The Blue-White Game

Penn State’s Blue-White Weekend is set for April 25, its first under Campbell. While it’s unclear what exactly the format will be, Campbell provided some insight into what fans can expect when they see the new-look Nittany Lions in Beaver Stadium for the first time.

“You’ll get some version of practice, hopefully we can get some scrimmaging. We’ll get some live reps in practice and be able to showcase that, but what we won’t do is waste a day. What we will do is, I think it’s really important for us to be out there and make sure we do a great job of being there for the fans and equally being able to be with our fans,” Campbell said.

On Defensive Philosophy

Campbell brought on USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn to lead Penn State’s defense heading into 2025. Lynn said that multiplicity is a key part of Campbell’s defensive philosophy, and Campbell has his eyes on some players who can prove very useful in that regard. Multiplicity is a strategy where teams use versatile players to create varied looks and formations, more so on defense.

“The one young man that has stood out to me from the day that I’ve gotten here to where we’re at, I think Zion Tracy is one of the best football players that I’ve coached, to be quite honest with you, I think in terms of talent, ability,” Campbell said.

Campbell said Tracy is one of the best cornerbacks in the country and would be one of the best safeties in the country if he moved up primarily. He said using Tracy makes it easier to navigate and build the rest of the defense.

Despite coming back from injury, Tony Rojas has also caught Campbell’s eye. He said he’s a warrior and a true leader on that side of the ball, even while not being available to physically play all that much.

As for some of Penn State’s new players, Campbell has had plenty of experience with the Iowa State transfers like Marcus Neal Jr.

“We asked him to play like almost like hybrid linebacker from the safety position to being the half safety,” Campbell said. “He’s a great blitzer, and it gives you a lot of different flexibility. I think we have those players. I keep hearing basketball. You want a guy that can play all five positions, right? … I don’t think it’s much different defensively. The more flexibility you have, the more you have the ability to line up in different structures pre-snap, but post-snap have the ability to defend the gap or responsibility and have the ability to play a physical brand of football.”