After Matt Campbell brought Noah Pauley from Iowa State to serve as Penn State’s wide receivers coach in December, it was easy for fans to get excited about the development he could bring to a unit that has underachieved for years now.

Pauley notably helped produce three NFL draft picks at the position, Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel, and Christian Watson, whom he coached at North Dakota State. Unfortunately, Pauley’s time in Happy Valley came to an end before it could even really begin, as he jumped to the Green Bay Packers in February.

Campbell pivoted to UConn wide receivers coach Kashif Moore, who followed his head coach Jim Mora to Colorado State in the offseason.

“Coach Moore was the last guy we interviewed, and I think development was key. [He’s] a guy that has developed his own self into a great wide receiver and had a great playing career,” Campbell said. “Then, you saw what he did with those guys at UConn. You watched what some of those guys were able to do at a place where development had to be the key to your success, and I think you’ve seen that early on.”

While it’s true that Moore wasn’t necessarily part of the original vision for the coaching staff, it’s clear from his two months with the program that he’s already laid the foundation for the Nittany Lions’ offense to wield a dominant wide-receiving unit in 2026.

“I think that group is starting to identify a mentality of how you’re going to block on the perimeter, how you’re going to attack the football, how you’re going to separate at the top of your route,” Campbell said. “All of those little things have grown immensely and will need to continue to grow if they’re going to be ready to play at the level we’re going to be playing.”

But according to Campbell, Moore’s ability to develop the position through instruction suggests a fast-track trajectory.

“When you’ve played it, and then you have the ability to articulate it and teach it, and you watch that teaching progression with your own players, I think those things are really important,” Campbell said.

Moore’s room consists mostly of underclassmen, with the exceptions of redshirt senior Chase Sowell and junior Brett Eskildsen, both of whom transferred from Iowa State. Arriving late, paired with the need to teach a brand-new offense to players who weren’t in the program the previous year makes Moore’s task difficult. But it’s one he’s devoted to.

“This is a great opportunity and a challenge. I’m really excited to be able to put my hand in the pile and be a part of these young men’s lives and do something special,” Moore said.

That willingness should come as no surprise, given Campbell and Moore’s shared commitment to a holistic coaching style.

“It’s more about the X’s and O’s,” Moore said. “Obviously, we’re here to win games and do something special with the high expectations and high standards at Penn State, but the holistic approach, when it comes to the academics, is holding guys accountable both on and off the field. We’re trying to build future husbands and fathers that are going to be successful people when football is long involved.”

Don’t get it twisted, though. Moore means business on the field, too. That starts with curating individual goals for his players, one of those being Chase Sowell.

Moore said he plans to help Sowell take his game to the next level and achieve a “breakout” year. Despite spending spring ball recovering from an injury he suffered at Iowa State last year, the Humble, Texas, native shared that it’s easy to buy into Moore’s vision, given his success coaching Skyler Bell at UConn.

Bell was one of the most productive wide receivers in the country a season ago, totaling 1,278 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns on 101 receptions. He was even nominated for the Biletnikoff Award in 2025, which goes to the best wideout in college football.

“We sat there and talked many times about where Skyler [Bell] was last year and where I’m at now. He was also banged up last spring and had a pretty good season, but had some things that he could clean up. Coach Moore told me that they went in, made some goals, and made the process of what they were going to do to get to those goals. He did the same exact thing with me,” said Sowell.

He also shared that he has his goals displayed on his phone’s home screen as a reminder of the work he still has to put in.

“It’s just a standard he brought that we didn’t have before, and it just holds you to be a great person and a great player,” said Sowell.

Along with Sowell, wideout Koby Howard is expected to contribute heavily to Penn State’s passing attack in 2026. Moore said Howard’s film stood out to him before even arriving on campus.

“Koby was the guy that stuck out to me. He plays multiple positions, he’s highly competitive, he just wants to be great at football. He’s been doing a really great job this offseason,” Moore said.

The sophomore is embracing the challenge of being a young buck who’s trying to take a big leap individually, but also lead the rest of the unit as one of the few returners from the 2025 season in the room.

“It’s definitely an interesting spot,” said Howard. ” I’m ready to attack it and show the world what I can do. I’m just excited for the season.”

Moore, Campbell, and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser all have specifically named Howard as an incredibly hard worker throughout the offseason program, which is something the Pensacola, Florida, native said was instilled in him from a young age.

“Just having my dad with me, [he] made sure I worked hard at a young age. Coming in [here], I know hard work is going to pay off in the end, so I just try to show off my hard work to the young players now that I’m kind of becoming a veteran in the offense,” said Howard. “Hopefully they’ll follow my lead.”

With a mix of seasoned leaders, talented young pieces, and a coach with a knack for teaching, Penn State’s wide receiver room has set the table for a bounce-back campaign in 2026.