After James Franklin’s exit, Matt Campbell and the Penn State Nittany Lions football team are poised to lose another staff member to the NFL. A source within the program confirmed that Trace McSorley, previously the assistant quarterbacks coach, is no longer part of the staff, with his name taken down from the official online directory.

“JUST IN: @PennStateFball assistant quarterbacks coach Trace McSorley is leaving the program for a position with the Buffalo Bills, per @danieljtgallen,” reported Onward State. 

The Buffalo Bills have enough reasons behind successfully wooing Matt Campbell’s offensive staff. Firstly, the move helps McSorley to reunite with the Bills’ head coach, Joe Brady, who was a graduate assistant at Penn State from 2015-16, when they both crossed paths. McSorley does not have an exact title yet with the Bills, but this is a good step forward in his young coaching career.

The move also sets up a link with fellow former Nittany Lion DaQuan Jones, though the veteran safety had already graduated before McSorley stepped onto campus in 2014. 

And if Buffalo’s center signs back, McSorley will be mentoring a three-year teammate at Penn State. While the former Nittany Lions coach jumps to the NFL, it creates a void in Campbell’s camp.

McSorley and Dan Connor were the two members of the original staff that Campbell did not let go of. And it was indeed a clever move since under the coach, Drew Allar and Ethan Grunkemeyer led the team through the season. Franklin must have counted on him because of his contributions to the program since his quarterback days in the Nittany Lions camp. 

From 2014 to 2018, McSorley carved out a legacy in Happy Valley. It all started right in his freshmen year. Despite being used sparingly in the regular season with no actual competition, McSorley was suddenly thrust into the spotlight in the TaxSlayer Bowl against Georgia after starting QB Christian Hackenberg went out with an injury. Penn State was down 3-24. An impossible task for an untested player like McSorley. Despite that, he nearly led a comeback, finishing the game 14 for 27 with 142 yards and two touchdowns, but Penn State fell short 17–24.

McSorley was named as the starter going ahead. He led a stunning upset of #2 Ohio State by an unranked Penn State squad. The win gave PSU a #24 ranking in the AP Poll, PSU’s first ranking in the top 25 since the 2011 season.

The three-year starter piled up 9,899 passing yards and 77 scores while completing nearly 60% of his throws. His defining moment came in 2016, when he led the Nittany Lions to a Big Ten championship.

So, Campbell was under the impression that McSorley would grow himself into a bigger coaching force by staying at Penn State.

“I think Trace is just starting [to learn] how special his career has the ability to be,” Campbell said. “You talk about one of the winningest quarterbacks [in Penn State history]. And in my mind, I kept thinking about how he and Rocco [Becht] have very similar traits of the human being and what they’re about and the impact that he could have in a positive way on Rocco.”

But Campbell could no longer take pride in this comparison. And with this, the Nittany Lions’ are facing yet another change in an already tumultuous offseason. McSorley’s departure is the second in February after wide receivers coach Noah Pauley left to coach for the Green Bay Packers.

Now, without McSorley, who will help in keeping Campbell’s offense on track? Well, the Nittany Lions head coach has got a clear successor in mind. 

Matt Campbell’s offense remains in capable hands

The 2025 season had been pretty rough for the Nittany Lions. They lost their head coach, Franklin, and star quarterback Allar in the same game. With Grunkemeyer filling the spot, the Nittany Lions ranked as the fourth-worst offense in the conference back in November. 

Their offense ranked 15th in the Big Ten, with 335.7 yards per game. The passing offense was a little better, 14th with 194.7 yards per game. To resurrect Campbell’s unit, he needed someone who had proved himself in this ground. So, when he walked into Happy Valley, he brought in quarterback coach Jake Waters from his old camp, Iowa State. 

The Campbell-Waters reunion is a big blessing indeed. Waters helped unlock Rocco Becht’s full potential, and the results were historic. The Iowa State quarterback exited as the program’s second-winningest starter overall and in conference play. Besides Becht, here’s how Campbell’s former team’s offense performed overall:

Iowa State’s offense was a production machine. Averaging 31.3 points and 416.2 yards per game, the unit enjoyed the program’s all-time Top 10 berth in both categories. But Waters’ prized moment came in 2024, when Iowa State’s offense flexed 52 touchdowns, more than any Cyclone team ever.

Sure, Trace McSorley’s departure stings, but Matt Campbell still has a steady presence to lean on.