Matt Campbell walked into Beaver Stadium knowing the math: up to 17 starters gone through the NFL Draft and transfer portal, a recruiting class ranked outside the top 150, and a roster that needs immediate surgery.
The transfer portal window opens Jan. 2, and Campbell’s rebuild at Penn State starts the moment it does.
Penn State Transfer Portal Needs After Mass Exodus
The losses are staggering. Quarterback Drew Allar is out of eligibility after a season-ending ankle injury limited him to six games. Running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, the program’s all-time leading rusher and his backfield partner, are both headed to the NFL.
Defensive tackle Zane Durant opted out of the Pinstripe Bowl to begin draft prep. Safety Zakee Wheatley, offensive linemen Vega Ioane and Drew Shelton, and defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton all declared for the draft as well.
Then there’s the portal exodus.
Freshman defensive end Chaz Coleman, one of the top players available in the college football transfer portal, announced his departure and has been linked to Ohio State. Former five-star cornerback A.J. Harris, a Georgia transfer whose 2025 season tanked his draft stock, is gone.
So is cornerback Elliot Washington II, linebacker Keon Wylie, defensive end Zuriah Fisher, and a collection of receivers, including Kaden Saunders and Anthony Ivey. Penn State is staring at double-digit departures before Campbell has even finished assembling his staff.
The new coach, however, knows how to work this market. At Iowa State, Campbell turned two-star transfers into early-round NFL Draft picks. He mentioned as much during his introductory press conference, citing wide receiver Jayden Higgins, the No. 34 overall pick in 2025, and offensive tackle Jalen Travis as proof of concept.
“We have a process,” Campbell said. “We know what we’re looking for in the transfer portal. We’re going to have to use that to continue to supplement our football team.”
The difference now: resources. Athletic director Pat Kraft reportedly committed $30 million in NIL funding to football, a budget Campbell never had in Ames. Iowa State’s transfer portal classes routinely ranked in the 80s nationally because they couldn’t afford to compete for premium talent. That changes in Happy Valley.
Iowa State Transfers and Nick Marsh Top Penn State’s Target List
Campbell’s shopping list starts with familiar faces. Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht, who threw for 9,274 yards and 64 touchdowns under Campbell and offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser, entered the portal after his coach left for Penn State.
CBS Sports labeled the Nittany Lions as “the early team to watch” for Becht, who knows Campbell’s offensive system inside and out.
The question was whether Campbell prioritizes Becht over Ethan Grunkemeyer, the redshirt freshman who completed 78.3% of his passes with four touchdowns and zero interceptions over his final three starts. Grunkemeyer has three years of eligibility remaining. Becht has one.
The answer to that question came midway through the College Football Playoff action on Thursday, with the former four-star Penn State quarterback announcing his intention to enter the transfer portal.
At running back, Penn State suddenly has a massive void. The players behind Singleton and Allen combined for just 283 yards over the past two seasons. Iowa State’s Carson Hansen, a former All-Big 12 selection, is another Campbell target who could step into a featured role immediately.
West Virginia’s Jahiem White, who rushed for over 1,800 yards across his career, is also on the radar.
MORE: Here’s How Curt Cignetti’s Transfer Portal Masterclass Changed Indiana Football Forever
The receiver room is equally barren. Penn State loses its top three pass-catchers to graduation, and Michigan State’s Nick Marsh, a former four-star who racked up 1,311 yards and nine touchdowns over two seasons with the Spartans, represents the crown jewel of the portal market at the position.
Penn State was a finalist for Marsh during his high school recruitment. The Nittany Lions’ new receivers coach, Noah Pauley, has a strong track record of developing portal wideouts into NFL talent.
On defense, Campbell could bring over safety Jeremiah Cooper, who recorded eight interceptions in four seasons with the Cyclones before a knee injury ended his 2025 campaign. Cornerback Jontez Williams, who logged five picks and 67 tackles at Iowa State, is another name to watch.
Campbell has never faced a rebuild of this magnitude.
At Iowa State, he built slowly and methodically, developing three-star recruits into NFL players over four and five years. Penn State won’t allow that timeline. The Nittany Lions went from a CFP semifinal to a 7-6 record in one season. Patience is not part of the job description.
The portal window closes Jan. 16. By then, Campbell needs to have reshaped a roster that lost nearly everything. His Iowa State track record suggests he’ll find value where others don’t. Whether he can do it fast enough for Penn State’s expectations is the question that will define Year 1.
