Campbell, who became Penn State’s football coach in December, assembled an entirely new staff and rebuilt a roster with new faces from around the country.
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By the time Penn State finishes the $700 million renovation of its massive stadium for the start of the season, Campbell believes the new Nittany Lions will be ready to compete, and it will be thanks to a patient approach.
“I think you always start from the beginning and rebuild your path,” Campbell said. “I think even as a head coach, you’re always reflecting on what went well and what didn’t go well. How can we be better and what does this team need?”
After 12 years in which the Nittany Lions won just four of 25 games against AP Top 10 opponents, this program needed an update.
Former coach James Franklin was fired in mid-fall after the Nittany Lions quickly squandered a preseason No. 2 ranking with an 0-3 start in Big Ten play. Penn State finished 6-6 and beat Clemson in the Pinstripe Bowl under interim coach Terry Smith.
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It took Penn State two months to find Franklin’s successor, upsetting fans who just a year earlier saw their team fall one game short of playing for the national championship.
Now that spring practice is coming to an end, those who were here before feel like they are starting over.
“It’s a new year,” sophomore wide receiver Koby Howard said. “Forget about last year and what happened last year.”
Early morning practices have replaced mid-afternoon sessions. Players have taken more time to get to know new teammates and position coaches. Former Nittany Lion greats Kerry Collins, Ki-Jana Carter and Kyle Brady from the program’s undefeated 1994 team visited and helped the program’s current new faces embrace its past.
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Howard is one of 52 returnees who experienced last year’s meltdown and subsequent emotional four-game winning streak with Smith to cap the season. Forty transfers and one class of true freshmen, 11 of whom registered in time to participate in spring dance, round out the roster.
Of those transfers, 24 followed Campbell from Iowa State, including quarterback Rocco Becht. Campbell also hired former Cyclones offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser and four other former assistants.
He also held key positions with former Nittany Lion stars, such as defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, who played for Joe Paterno. Paterno and Bill O’Brien-era teammates Dan Connor, Jordan Hill, Alan Zemaitis and Jordan Lucas are in supporting roles.
“A lot of things are exactly the same, but a lot has changed,” Lynn said.
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They spent winter training establishing new nutritional habits and restarting the strength and conditioning program. The last 14 spring practices have given them the first opportunity to install basic schemes and see what each individual player can do.
“I think aligning everyone, making sure we go slow and right, right now,” Campbell said. “Where do the drills go? Where does the offense go? Where does the defense go? All of those things are certainly unique and new. That’s how slow and correct the process really is for us.”
Becht, who was a three-year starter for Campbell in Ames, is the embodiment of that. He entered spring practice recovering from shoulder surgery but is expected to throw the ball in 7-on-7 drills at the stadium on Saturday.
It will be the first step for what is to come later in the summer, when the team reconvenes for training camp. By then, the Nittany Lions will have a better idea of how everything will fit together.
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“The emphasis is how we’re going to do what we’re going to do. Put some basic things on offense and defense so we can really evaluate their football team,” Campbell said. “Honestly, it’s been awesome for so many guys to get the foundation of what we’re going to do on both sides of the ball.”
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