It’s been just 267 days since Penn State football head coach Matt Campbell was hired, but his program’s dedication to service and brotherhood would never suggest how new his tenure in Happy Valley is.

That emphasis on giving back once again came to life on Friday night, this time inside Beaver Stadium.

Campbell and the Nittany Lions hosted children with disabilities and their families for “Victory Day,” a night of service that dates back to Campbell’s time at Iowa State and Toledo. However, he first observed Victory Day at a high school football camp led by Trenton High School coach Aaron Segedi.

“Aaron’s been a guy that I leaned on,” Campbell said. “I just felt that I could bring this to college football and teach our young guys the value of making a difference in our community. I thought it became really important in Toledo, and became really important at Iowa State.”

Endless laughter filled the air as Penn State football players ran plays with the kids and coached them through drills, something that cannot be quantified with wins, losses, or passing yards.

“I’ve seen it really rub off for sure, like just in the aspect of everything you do in life, doing things like this, you really don’t forget about how you make people feel,” safety Marcus Neal said. “People will forget the touchdown, they will forget the tackle, they’ll forget all that, but they’ll never forget how you treated them.”

It’s no secret that much of college football has entered an age plagued by greed and self-centeredness, but Campbell seems dead set on preventing either of those deficiencies from entering his program. That all starts with himself.

“[Campbell] has invested in us. He’s invested in this program. Invested in our life, whether it be on the field or off the field,” quarterback Rocco Becht said.

“He’s just here to support us in any way that he can, and you can see the fun that he has with us. Like you said, [him] calling the plays, leading them out into the huddle, it’s something special to see him be so a part of this big victory.”

Campbell’s dedication to treating others with kindness has caught his players’ attention, making him easy to follow as a leader of men.

“I think it all plays a role into how he treats his family, treats other people, just humans, and in general, how he treats our team,” Neal said. “You always want to play for a guy like that that respects you, because it’s easy to respect him. And then him giving us opportunities to do things like this is just amazing.”

Competition is deeply woven into everything the Nittany Lions do, and that remained true for offensive lineman Cooper Cousins and his Victory Day child, Gannon.

“We got to go in the huddle, call a play, and the kids got to score. They told us to play. They wanted us to run. We ran it,” Cousins said. “When Gannon got in that huddle, there was a different atmosphere. We knew what we had to do, and we capitalized.”

With the chaos of a looming college football season just around the corner, the 2026 installment of Victory Day served as a grounding reminder of Penn State’s core values.

Certainly, Campbell wants to develop All-Big Ten players, but he’s made it clear there’s no place for you on this Penn State team if you aren’t willing to put others first.

Fortunately, it seems there is no shortage of empathy within the Lasch Building.