The NEW Standard For Penn State & Matt Campbell After James Franklin!

Penn State football has a new standard under Matt Campbell, and the conversation starts with what James Franklin built, where the program stalled, and what Campbell now has to prove in big games. Zach Seyko is joined by Pat Koerbler (https://x.com/Poerbler) of Black Shoe Diaries to discuss Campbell’s expectations, Franklin’s legacy, Steve Sarkisian’s comments about Penn State, and whether the Nittany Lions made the right move.

Topics include Matt Campbell’s first-year pressure, Penn State’s big-game struggles under James Franklin, Steve Sarkisian criticizing the Franklin firing, the importance of Michigan, USC, Washington and the White Out game, and ESPN’s comparison of Rocco Becht to Sean Clifford. Zach and Pat also discuss Rocco Becht’s fit, Penn State’s quarterback history with Trace McSorley, Sean Clifford, Drew Allar and Christian Hackenberg, plus what Becht needs around him to succeed.

This conversation matters now because Penn State did not make a major coaching change to stay in the same place. The Nittany Lions do not need Campbell to win a national championship immediately, but they do need proof that the program can win the games that define Big Ten and College Football Playoff contention.

What should the standard be for Matt Campbell at Penn State: 10 wins, a big-game win, a Big Ten title appearance, or something else? Drop your thoughts in the comments and subscribe to Locked On Nittany Lions for daily Penn State football coverage.

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0:00 Matt Campbell’s Penn State standard

1:34 Big-game wins define the next era

4:33 Penn State’s 2025 collapse changed everything

6:21 Michigan, USC and Washington as Campbell’s first tests

8:05 What kind of 9-3 season would fans accept?

9:51 Penn State had to take the risk

10:40 Ad Break

12:25 Why Franklin’s Penn State tenure had run its course

13:09 Sarkisian’s Penn State criticism misses context

15:39 Would Texas have tolerated Franklin’s results?

18:38 UCLA and Northwestern made Franklin’s exit unavoidable

19:43 Andy Reid comparison and the fresh-start argument

22:04 Why major jobs did not chase James Franklin

23:52 Rocco Becht enters the Sean Clifford zone

26:04 What ESPN’s QB tier says about Becht

28:26 Can Penn State keep Rocco Becht healthy?

29:09 Why Becht has a better Penn State supporting cast

30:30 Ranking Penn State quarterbacks under Franklin

32:42 Final thoughts and next QB debate tease

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