Penn State has made the first staff hire of the Matt Campbell era.
Matt Zenitz of 247Sports reported late Sunday morning that Campbell is bringing associate AD for football personnel Derek Hoodjer with him from Iowa State.
Hoodjer’s history with Iowa State predates Campbell’s time there.
A graduate of ISU, Campbell started his coaching career as a student assistant in 2011. By 2014, he was a graduate assistant. He then spent the next two seasons as the program’s Assistant Director of Recruiting & High School Relations.
Not long after Campbell took over the program in 2016, he promoted Hoodjer to Director of Player Personnel. In 2023, Hoodjer’s title changed to Assistant AD/Player Personnel, which was essentially the general manager.
DOES PENN STATE HAVE A GM?
The first question Penn State fans are going to be asking about this hire is whether or not Hoodjer will be the general manager.
Penn State has never had an official general manager, with Director of Player Personnel Andy Frank serving as the de-factor GM for the 2024 season.
In a press conference this past February, Penn State AD Pat Kraft said the program would eventually hire a GM.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.“I’m 100% supportive, let me say that,” Kraft said. “We have people in the building that are doing that job right now.”
Kraft also gave his opinion on how much power a GM should have.
“A lot of these general managers that you’re seeing hired have full roster discretion. I’ll leave that out there. You know that’s hard in college sports, meaning they’re choosing the players, much like the pros. I don’t agree with that. I do not think that’s right. They’re coming here because they’re going to play for the coaches and James Franklin’s football program.”
WHO’S NEXT?
So who will be the next to join Campbell on his first Penn State staff? It’s hard to say at the moment, but it is clear that Campbell wants longtime Iowa State defensive coordinator Jon Heacock to join him in Happy Valley. Heacock had been Iowa State’s defensive coordinator for the entirety of Campbell’s 10-year tenure, popularizing using three safeties on the field at the same time.
Stay tuned to Nittany Sports Now for more updates on who Penn State adds to its staff.
