12/08/25 Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski / New Penn State head football coach Matt Campbell (left) is pictured with athletic director Pat Kraft at the conclusion of the coach's introduction press conference at Beaver Stadium on Monday afternoon.

It took longer than expected — and thankfully nobody from Penn State tried to tell fans and the media otherwise regarding the search for the program’s current head coach — but the rollout of Matt Campbell and the news since have gone well.

It will be busy and interesting going forward, too.

First, belated kudos to Penn State for a smooth announcement and the necessary, check-the-boxes news conference with all the admins, hangers-on and family members.

There are always a lot of factors involved with those kinds of events and after the sluggish hiring process, as well as the leaked audio that led to news with athletic director Pat Kraft, Penn State did a good job getting things focused on what needed to be the focus.

One more belated nod … to Kraft. He needed to apologize for his messaging to players in that private meeting that went public, and he did it well. Maybe what he said was not all that problematic, and it probably fired up some Penn State alumni. He was authentic and passionate, for sure.

It just felt a little beneath an administrator. To me, the many critiques (James Franklin, Oregon, Michigan and others) were not as problematic as the shots at current players and even the fan base.

All’s well that ends well, though, and Campbell’s arrival offered a higher bar with abundant positivity and stories to follow for months leading into spring football and next season.

Campbell was authentic and passionate, flashing fan-friendly levels of Penn State knowledge and program connections. It was all good stuff.

Additional kudos to the media members who asked all the right questions and helped inform and serve fans as a result. That’s the job.

We’re in the midst of who’s-coming-and-who’s-going stories with coaches, staff and players. And we’ve already had stories about potential Penn State-Pitt scheduling. Expected, good stuff.

What’s next? Well, next season’s schedule release is overdue, and there will be reaction to that, and then speculation about the White Out. Also next are all Campbell’s “firsts” — including his first season of spring football, his first Blue-White Game (if it happens as it has in the past) and any number of program-reshaping stories going forward.

It will be fun to follow and all of it will come with comparisons to Campbell’s predecessor as well as to the nation’s top programs. As the college football calendar has largely become a year-round affair, coverage has as well and the next few months might offer a good bit of news.

Regarding ratings

Despite Penn State’s big alumni base (which slipped behind that of Indiana, according to reports from earlier this fall), the Nittany Lions are generally not a top-three or top-five TV draw during a given season.

For example, Ohio State playing some middling to bad opponent during a weak TV time slot will almost invariably draw higher ratings and more viewers than Penn State in the same situation. And this year’s on-field struggles certainly hurt Penn State’s ability to draw viewers.

Penn State’s most-watched game was 8.5 million viewers for the White Out game against Oregon. Behind that, 6.03 million watched the Indiana game and 3.13 tuned in for the UCLA game.

Penn State’s season average (2.68 million) was not enough to rank among college football’s 10 most-viewed teams this year. Here’s a look at the Top 10 in viewership (in millions), according to Nielsen:

– Alabama, 8.493

– Texas, 7.546

– Georgia, 7.476

– Ohio State, 6.567

– Oklahoma, 6.468

– LSU, 6.415

– Tennessee, 6.205

– Auburn, 5.255

– Michigan, 5.077

-Texas A&M, 4.987

Pav’s positivity

It’s not a football topic, but the football season for Penn State ends Saturday. So, looking forward, search for the Penn State men’s volleyball schedule online and try to make time to see that team play this season.

Along with games at Rec Hall, the team visits Saint Francis in early February. The games are usually not televised or streamed, but there’s value in an in-person visit because it’s the final season for longtime coach Mark Pavlik, who announced his retirement in early December.

Pavlik’s teams are 694-241, and he leads all active major college men’s volleyball coaches in victories with a national championship to his credit. He ranks fourth on the all-time victory list.

Plus, Pav’s just a good guy and men’s volleyball remains one of the generally traditional places for student-athletes to compete at Penn State (and other places) while other big-time sports on campus have moved to a pay-for-play/name, image and likeness model.

Notable

– While QB Drew Allar returned to the sideline after his injury to support his Penn State teammates as the regular season progressed, his presence has disappeared from an updated Dodge commercial that’s been airing later in the season. He’s still prominent (as is Penn State) in a Venmo commercial.

– Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek and Taylor McGregor are the TV team for the Pinstripe Bowl. It’s the first Penn State game for the Pasch-Dvoracek pairing since a nonconference matchup against Ohio University on Sept. 20, 2022.

– It’s just the fourth noon kickoff of the season for Penn State.

– ESPN debuts “Paid to Play: Understanding College Sports in 2025” at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, and it’s probably a good watch if you want to get a sense of how the business of college sports is working these days.

Sampsell covers the broadcast end of Penn State football for Gameday. He can be reached at stevesampsell@gmail.com.