Audrey Snyder

Meet the transfers: Surveying Penn State's newest players ahead of spring ball Matt Campbell stories, portal process and making this place feel like home

Surveyed a bunch of Penn State’s transfers who made the move from Iowa State. Got into a lot of different topics.

Their Matt Campbell stories won’t disappoint

How Matt Campbell is creating a culture of accountability 'How you do things is how you do everything'

Penn State's players drafted accountability teams this winter. There's a point system & the losing team is cleaning the building at 6 a.m. on Wednesdays.

“In the past, it was very lackadaisical. People got away with certain things. But Coach Campbell, he’s on top of that."

Penn State's Tony Rojas ready for a fresh start 'This was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through'

Tony Rojas sustained a quad contusion during the Oregon game.

He’s thought a lot about that wk, when just days later he tore his ACL at practice & from there could only watch as the season spiraled.

What if he wasn’t practicing? Could this all have gone differently for PSU?

Penn State's Tony Rojas ready for a fresh start 'This was the hardest thing I’ve ever been through'

Tony Rojas is ready to put last season -- all of it -- behind him

“I just had to sit back, relax, meditate and know that everything is happening for a reason. It was a hard time."

Story: insidethelions.substack.com/p/penn-state...

YouTube video by The Nittany Dispatch: A Penn State Podcast Penn State introduces QB Rocco Becht, incoming transfers ahead of spring ball

Penn State made over 30 players available yesterday, including many of its incoming transfers.

@audreysnyder.bsky.social and I are here to talk about it on a new live edition of The Nittany Dispatch. Bring your questions to the chat.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIDb...

Penn State football undergoing culture shift under head coach Matt Campbell YouTube video by The Nittany Dispatch: A Penn State Podcast

extremely good stuff from @audreysnyder.bsky.social and @jonsauber.bsky.social www.youtube.com/live/epktku7...

I think it carried into everything. Not the only reason why they crumbled in big games, but I do think it's a factor. Players were overthinking, uptight, too afraid to make a mistake. Everyone in the building often walked on eggshells

QB Rocco Becht is ready to take flight 'They've opened arms and brought us all in'

Rocco Becht knows the offense and most of the people in the building, but what's helped him win over Penn State's locker room is how he's leading.

"He’s a people-person. He can talk to anyone."
"He’s someone I love to follow."

Meet QB1

Rocco Becht: “right shoulder fully healthy and left is almost there”

Hello, hello. We’ll hear from Rocco Becht and 20-plus other new and returning Penn State players this afternoon

There were times last season when Anthony Donkoh wasn't sure if he'd stay at Penn State

Matt Campbell and Ryan Clanton made him a priority. Donkoh wants to play tackle this year & told them that

Some interesting stuff in here as PSU inches toward spring:
insidethelions.substack.com/p/this-penn-...

This Penn State football team looks and sounds refreshed 'The new culture that’s here with him has been outstanding'

"There’s no pressure from the coaches, no pressure from the strength staff. You’re not having to worry about somebody breathing down your neck when you make a mistake"

Yes, this Penn State football team is refreshed. You saw it on Saturday

Story: insidethelions.substack.com/p/this-penn-...

Did OL Cooper Cousins consider a transfer this offseason?

"Absolutely not."

Why? "I think the guys that did stay here are pretty much the same as me. ... We bleed this place. We love this place. I mean, I got it tattooed on my bicep. This place is truly something special."

Anthony Donkoh is always a good sport, getting his face painted alongside the kids and families at the event.

On this new-look PSU team: “With this new staff coming in and talking to these guys, these guys are great people. Great humans. That’s one of the biggest reasons why I stayed.”

Penn State football doing their part in the annual Thon explorers event in the football building. Matt Campbell and staff got in on the fun today too as they talked with families, signed autographs, tossed footballs.

There’s a new No. 71 this season. Garrett Sexton, who wore 71 in HS, said he texted a pic of his new number to Vega Ioane. “He just sent me a laughing emoji and let’s go or something. It is pretty cool wearing V’s number.”

Gavin McKenna's record-setting night was certainly one to remember 'You want to leave your mark'

Gavin McKenna called his parents Thursday night and filled them in on his idea, just in case he scored during the Nittany Lions’ weekend series against Ohio State.

His celebration was a planned and public exhale.

Story on McKenna’s record-setting night: insidethelions.substack.com/p/gavin-mcke...

A career night for Gavin McKenna

Gavin McKenna with a goal and 7 assists tonight as Penn State rolls Ohio State, 11-4

I chatted with PSU hockey's Tessa Janecke, now an Olympic gold medalist, in the fall btwn training trips.

“All I want to do when I leave is for us to be recognized as a hockey school and just grow the game. That’s more important than anything. That’s what it’s about, getting younger girls to play.”

And, we can finally start to see the grass here again after the snow hung around for what like 3 weeks?!

D'Anton Lynn is here because this still feels like the Penn State of old 'He’s the right fit for us'

One conversation with Matt Campbell reminded D'Anton Lynn why he committed to Penn State as a player.

“As far as the values and the character that he has, it reminded me of old school Penn State"

On the defensive coordinator's path back to his alma mater

Inside Penn State's massive roster reset and the search for OKGs 'Let's not just acquire talent. Let’s build a football team'

January was a blur as Penn State added 40 transfers and rebuilt a roster.

"If we got gutted from the Penn State side of it, it’s hard to start from square one," Terry Smith said.

Some really interesting details in here from PSU's GM and coaches about who and what they prioritized.

That’s Super Bowl champion Chris Stoll on the Beaver Stadium video board

YouTube video by The Nittany Dispatch: A Penn State Podcast Penn State introduces new football staff, loses WRs coach Noah Pauley

🚨Hey! It's been a minute. The Nittany Dispatch is going live to chat all things Penn State football. Turns out the staff isn't finalized just yet. Come chat!

'I would’ve went with him to Mount Union' How Matt Campbell's staff overhauled a roster while uprooting their lives

They packed up their lives to join Matt Campbell at Penn State w/o any questions asked. Some of the coaches even spent the past month living together in an Airbnb before their families arrived.

"It’s like we’re back in college"

I really liked what Pauley accomplished in college coaching. Absolutely think it translates to the NFL (in a receiving corps in GB that's loaded with talent but that still needs to be a little more developed). Just a crazy 24 hours for Pauley the way this whole thing fell together.

'We get to begin to build those foundational blocks within our program' Thoughts, observations, notes from a jam-packed media day

We met with Matt Campbell and staff yesterday.

Covered a lot of ground in here on Rocco Becht's return, D'Anton Lynn's willingness to build a defense around this roster, how this whole thing feels a lot more loose (in a good way)...

Much, much more to come from today. Yes, I’ll even tell you about the coaches sharing an air bnb until their families arrive.

Until then, time to go teach journalism students on a really brutal day for the industry.

Penn State is working to decide what the Blue-White game will look like. They hope to have those details made public next week.

"I don't want the first time Rocco Becht throws a pass to be in there (in the fall) in front of fans."