Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images
Apr 25, 2026; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback coach Jake Waters talks with quarterback Rocco Becht (3) during the Penn State Blue-White Spring Game at Beaver Stadium.
For the first time in over a decade, the Penn State football program will be under new management in 2026 after parting ways with James Franklin and hiring Matt Campbell away from Iowa State.
Alongside Campbell, the Nittany Lions welcome a significant number of new assistant coaches, including 35-year-old offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser, who has worked under Campbell since 2015 in Toledo, when he was a graduate assistant.
Mouser recently sat with Thomas Frank Carr of Blue White Illustrated to discuss several topics ahead of the 2026 season, including how recruiting has changed significantly in recent years.
However, Mouser said that it’s not for the reason most would think.
Penn State OC Taylor Mouser Says Social Media, Not NIL, Has Changed Recruiting
While the obvious answer for what’s changed most about recruiting would seem to be NIL, with high school stars repeatedly creating bidding wars across the country, Mouser says it’s not that simple.
Instead, he says that the growth of social media and the way programs are perceived is the biggest change hes’s seen in recent years.
Here’s the BIGGEST change in recruiting, according to Penn State OC Taylor Mouser. pic.twitter.com/PhMyE2Xx6J
— Blue White Illustrated (@PennStateOn3) July 13, 2026
“I think more than the money part of it, I think social media has changed so much,” Mouser said. “Because it makes kids have to compare themselves to other kids all the time, instantly, and it puts recruiting under a microscope of ‘what’s there or not there?’ And the mirage of ‘this doesn’t really look like that.’
“People find comfort not as much in the money, in my opinion, as comfort in the social media love.”
Mouser went on to explain that he’s seen several recruits encourage fans to go like their Instagram posts from visits and similar content, which he doesn’t see as a bad thing. But he does note that the attention can often backfire when they reach college and have massive fan bases hanging on their every play.
Penn State’s 2027 recruiting class is currently ranked 21st in the country, according to On3, a slight dip from most years under previous coach James Franklin. So perhaps Mouser is mistaken. Or perhaps Penn State’s staff just isn’t showing enough social media love.
What do you think? Is he right about social media attention meaning more than money in modern recruiting? Let us know in the comments below!