Matt Campbell continues to pull from Penn State's deepest well of talent, and his latest addition is one of the most recognizable names in program history.
Former Penn State linebacker Michael Mauti is set to join Campbell's first Nittany Lions staff as the Director of Football Engagement, according to 247. In the role, Mauti will serve as a liaison connecting current players, the program's key financial supporters, and members of the PSU Football Letterman's Club, with an office inside the Lasch Football Building.
For Mauti, who also spent some time coaching at the high school level in Louisiana and Pennsylvania, it's a natural next step. He'd been working as an associate director of development for the Nittany Lion Club since May of 2024, so he already knows the donor and letterman landscape well. Now he moves inside the football building to help Campbell keep the Penn State letterman network tied into the program during a transition year.
Mauti's name still carries real weight in State College. A team captain and the emotional heartbeat of the 2012 Penn State defense, he was named the Big Ten Linebacker of the Year that fall and earned AP first-team All-American honors after a career-best 96-tackle season. The Minnesota Vikings took him in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL Draft, and he went on to play five pro seasons split between the Vikings and his hometown New Orleans Saints.
More than the stats, Mauti's story is a galvanizing one with no shortage of adversity. Mauti battled ulcerative colitis dating back to his playing days at Penn State, eventually undergoing three surgeries to remove his large intestine and rectum and still finding his way back onto an NFL field, something no other player had done. That kind of grit is a big part of why his name continues to resonate the way it does with Penn State people.
The hire fits a clear continued pattern for Campbell, who has leaned heavily on Penn State ties while assembling his staff. Mauti becomes the ninth Nittany Lions letterman connected to Campbell's first group, a deliberate effort to keep the program's identity intact as a coach from the outside takes over.
He's in good company. Campbell made Terry Smith, the 2025 interim head coach, one of his first priorities, bringing him back as associate head coach and cornerbacks coach. Former Penn State defensive back D'Anton Lynn came aboard as defensive coordinator, and Dan Connor, the 2007 Bednarik Award winner and one of the best linebackers in program history, is on staff as an assistant linebackers coach. The list of returning lettermen also includes Jordan Hill as director of player development and director of the Letterman's Club, Jordan Lucas as an assistant cornerbacks coach, DeOn'tae Pannell as an assistant defensive line coach, Alan Zemaitis as director of talent acquisition, and Steven Gonzalez as a recruiting assistant.
Campbell arrives at Penn State after a decade-long run at Iowa State, where he went 72-55 with three bowl wins and built the Cyclones into a consistent Big 12 contender. His 11-win 2024 season was the most in school history, and he followed it with an 8-4 finish in 2025 before Penn State hired him on an eight-year deal December 8. He replaced James Franklin, who was fired last October during a three-game skid in a season that ended 6-6, the Lions' worst mark since 2004.
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