Matt Campbell's Comments on Penn State Star Show Difference From James Franklin

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Penn State has really needed guys to step up in multiple ways over the past couple of years, especially at the wide receiver position. 

If there’s been one difference between teams like Penn State, Oregon, Indiana, and some other big-time programs, it’s the Nittany Lions’ inability to have that game-changing wide receiver who can make plays at a high level. 

Of course, Penn State had Tyler Warren, who was the best tight end in the country at the time, but it still felt like it needed somebody at the wide receiver position. 

Wide receivers and tight ends are similar in the simple sense that both catch passes, but they differ in many ways. 

Regardless, Penn State hasn’t had that, though it looks like it might now with youngster Koby Howard, a sophomore from Pensacola, Florida. Howard decided to stay with the new coaching staff when Matt Campbell got the job, a decision that seems to be paying off. A former three-star recruit, Howard is a really interesting player who didn’t get as much love as he should have in high school. 

However, what Matt Campbell and James Franklin have said about Howard is night and day, and it shows how different things are when a team has a head coach who trusts his players. You can see the difference between Campbell’s comments and Franklin’s very easily in their remarks.

“None of it surprises me because of how I’ve watched him,” said head coach Matt Campbell after Saturday’s game at Beaver Stadium, per the Inquirer. “He’ll be the first guy [Sunday] morning in the facility and probably beat three-fourths of the coaching staff, and he’s catching the JUGS, and he’s that kind of football player that has this conviction to be great.”

“We’re in a position right now where we don’t have plays and drives to just throw somebody out there and see how it goes,” Franklin said last October when asked about Howard. “We’ve got to get our best guys on the field. Every rep is like gold, every drive is like gold, and we’ve got to maximize that.”

I don’t want to say that Franklin was wrong for making these comments, but ultimately, he obviously wasn’t great at evaluating wide receiver talent. 

Howard has absolutely starred throughout the early stages of the season, catching 12 passes for 344 yards, good for a ridiculous 28.7 yards per catch. 

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