One of the best players in Penn State history will be on Matt Campbell’s first coaching staff.
Dan Connor had been on Penn State’s staff for four seasons, the most recent one as linebackers coach.
Campbell hired Tyson Veidt, who worked with him at Iowa State for eight seasons before becoming Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator for two two years, to coach the linebackers, and a Penn State release says Connor will “assist Veidt with coaching the linebackers.”
Penn State’s linebackers room in 2025 wasn’t what it could have been due to Tony Rojas’ season-ending injury suffered near the end of September.
Connor did help Amare Campbell become one of the team’s best players.
He started all 13 games during the 2025 season and was a fixture in the defense, participating in 90.8% of Penn State’s total possible snaps (769 of a possible 847 snaps), according to Pro Football Focus. Campbell emerged as Penn State’s top run defender, earning an 83.0 PFF grade and leading the team in total tackles (103) and solo stops (64).
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Campbell entered the transfer portal over the weekend, but Penn State will have Rojas back for 2026.
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Additionally, true freshman Alex Tatsch took advantage of his late season opportunity.
Tatsch’s best performance came in November against Nebraska, when he helped slow then–Big Ten leading rusher Emmett Johnson, recording a season-high five tackles in Penn State’s 37–10 win.
Along with Veidt, Penn State also made official the hiring of Ikaika Malloe as defensive line coach and run game coordinator, news that was first reported New Year’s night. Malone had been with UCLA for four seasons, the last two as defensive coordinator.
