The transfer portal opened Jan. 2, and Matt Campbell wasted no time making his intentions clear. Three days in, Penn State’s new head coach has secured 18 former Iowa State players and counting.
Rocco Becht, Carson Hansen, Benjamin Brahmer, Marcus Neal Jr., and Kooper Ebel, the band is getting back together. The only difference? They’re now wearing blue and white instead of cardinal and gold.
Matt Campbell Attempts Curt Cignetti Blueprint, But Will It Work?
Matt Campbell is following the Curt Cignetti blueprint, copying Cignetti’s relocation to “JMU West” in Bloomington. The trouble is, Iowa State isn’t that 2023 JMU team, and Campbell isn’t Cignetti.
When Cignetti brought 13 players from James Madison to Indiana ahead of the 2024 season, he was importing from a program that had just gone 11-2. Those Dukes were battle-tested against quality competition, brimming with players who had legitimate chips on their shoulders from being overlooked by Power Four programs.
More critically, Cignetti supplemented his JMU core with 18 additional transfers from other schools, including MAC Offensive Player of the Year Kurtis Rourke at quarterback.
Campbell’s approach is more insular. Of Penn State’s transfer portal commitments as of Monday afternoon, every single one comes from Ames. The Nittany Lions aren’t supplementing their roster with proven producers from across the country. They’re executing a wholesale relocation.
The numbers paint a stark picture of what Campbell is importing:
- Iowa State’s 2025 Season: 8-4 overall | 5-4 Big 12 | Lost four straight games mid-season | Declined bowl participation
- JMU’s 2023 Season: 11-2 overall | 7-1 Sun Belt | Led the Sun Belt East (ineligible for conference title)
What Penn State Is Getting From Iowa State
First things first: the quarterback.
Rocco Becht brings experience and production, having tallied 9,274 career passing yards and 64 touchdowns over three seasons as a starter. However, his 2025 numbers tell a more complicated story.
- Becht’s 2025 stats: Comp %: 60.5% | Yards: 2,584 | TDs: 16 | INT: 9
For context, Becht’s completion percentage ranked in the middle of the Big 12. His touchdown-to-interception ratio of 1.78:1 is serviceable but hardly elite. He’s also coming off shoulder surgery on a partially torn labrum.
MORE: Curt Cignetti’s Quarterback Formula Landed Indiana Another Star
Still, his familiarity with offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser’s system — also making the trip from Ames — provides obvious value for a program in transition.
The supporting cast includes:
- Carson Hansen, RB: 952 rushing yards | 5.1 YPC | 6 TDs (Second-Team All-Big 12)
- Benjamin Brahmer, TE: 37 receptions | 446 yards | 6 TDs (No. 2 TE in portal)
- Marcus Neal Jr., S: 77 tackles | 2 INTs | Team’s leading tackler
- Kooper Ebel, LB: 77 tackles | 2 sacks | Three-year starter
Solid players. Not transformational ones.
The Campbell Question No Penn State Fan Wants to Ask
Unfortunately for Penn State fans, Campbell’s track record against ranked opponents follows him to Happy Valley. In nine seasons at Iowa State, he went 14-26 against ranked teams.
He’s 0-2 in Big 12 Championship Games, including a 45-19 blowout loss to Arizona State in December 2024.
Campbell transformed Iowa State from a perennial doormat into a program that won 11 games in 2024, the first double-digit win season in the program’s 133-year history. That’s meaningful. But winning eight games in the Big 12 and winning championships in the Big Ten are fundamentally different tasks.
Cignetti arrived in Bloomington with a track record of winning everywhere he went. He’d never posted a losing season as a head coach. More importantly, he’d proven he could identify undervalued talent from across the transfer portal landscape, not just from his previous roster.
Indiana’s 2024 portal class featured five All-Big Ten selections and eight honorable mentions. That depth came from diversification, combining JMU familiarity with fresh perspectives from Ohio, Old Dominion, Kent State, and elsewhere.
MORE: Indiana Executes Another Curt Cignetti Transfer Portal Masterclass
So, it begs the question: Can Penn State compete for Big Ten titles with a roster built almost exclusively from one Big 12 program?
The Cyclones who followed Campbell certainly know his system. They trust him. They’ll accelerate the installation process and provide the leadership a roster in flux desperately needs.
However, there’s a ceiling to this approach. Iowa State’s roster wasn’t built to compete with Ohio State, Oregon, and a surging Indiana program. The players who thrived in Ames were perfectly suited for the Big 12’s unique challenges.
Fortunately for Campbell, Penn State’s existing roster includes some pieces worth retaining. Running back Quinton Martin Jr. flashed in the Pinstripe Bowl victory over Clemson. Offensive linemen Cooper Cousins and Anthony Donkoh have announced their returns.
But the departures have been significant, with over 30 players entering the portal as of Monday.
Campbell has until the portal window closes on Jan. 16 to prove this relocation strategy has more depth than it currently appears. Penn State’s brand and NIL resources should be able to attract portal targets beyond Iowa State’s roster.
The question is whether Campbell wants that, or whether he’s content building “Iowa State East” and hoping it translates to the Big Ten.
