It looked like new Penn State coach Matt Campbell was done filling out his first staff in Happy Valley, but that’s not the case.
Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reported Thursday morning that Noah Pauley will become the receivers coach of the Green Bay Packers, less than two months after Penn State hired him as its receivers coach.
On the one hand, this is a big surprise.
Anytime a coach leaves a job before having the chance to coach a game —or even a spring practice —it’s unusual. But on the otherhand, it’s easy to see why Pauley took the job. The Packers are one of the most prestigious franchises in American sports, and Pauley, a native of Duluth, Minnesota, grew up rooting for the Packers, not the Minnesota Vikings, per Green Bay’s website.
Additionally, coaching in Green Bay will reunite Pauley with one of his biggest success stories in Christian Watson, whom he coached at North Dakota State.
Watson, who came to NDSU as a two-star recruit, has become one of Green Bay’s top receivers.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.The success of Watson and others that Pauley coached at North Dakota State led to Campbell hiring him for the Iowa State job, where he continued to build a reputation as one of the nation’s best WR coaches.
In 2024, FootballScoop named him the National Wide Receivers Coach of the Year after Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins each went for more than 1,100 yards receiving.
Today, Noel and Higgins are with the Houston Texans, where each played key roles as rookies, helping Houston to the playoffs.
Penn State has struggled at the receiver position for the past three years, with no wideout producing more than 720 yards despite having a former five-star recruit at quarterback in Drew Allar.
For this reason and Pauley’s track record, he was thought to be one of the most important staff positions. Now. Campbell and Penn State must go back to the drawing board.
