The harmonious buzzwords were flying when Penn State’s coaches and players met with the media early in fall camp.
“Togetherness.”
“Brotherhood.”
“Love.”
From every position group – seemingly from every individual – came a reference to a Buddhist concept, “mudita,” defined as finding deep, sympathetic and unselfish joy in the success and happiness of others.
The “mudita” movement seems to begin with the Iowa State transfers, but that feeling has seeped into the hearts of players who came from elsewhere or were already at Penn State.
“One of the words we like to focus on is mudita, which means having authentic joy for others’ success,” former Iowa State wide receiver Brett Eskildsen said. “I think we truly have built that. It’s been awesome. You make a play and everybody’s behind you. Somebody else makes a play, we’re all over it. So just building that type of culture in our receiver room and as a team is a really big goal of ours.”
Quarterback Rocco Becht, another ex-Cyclone, agreed.
“If we can have joy for others’ success on this team, we’ll be unstoppable,” Becht said. “We’ll go out there and somebody will make a play, and we’ll be fine.
“Then the next person goes out and makes a play, and we’ll be happy for him. So I think if we can have that kind of relationship, that connection with one another, we’ll have great success.”
In an article for the Learn Religions website, Barbara O’Brien wrote that practicing “mudita” can help one focus on tasks and avoid sluggishness: “Through mudita comes a sense of energized concern that sweeps away the fog of boredom.”
And then wins on the football field?
Even incumbent Nittany Lions have embraced the attitude, although nobody was singing “kumbaya” while heading out to the practice field.
“As soon as these guys came in, we all got together, started to get to know each other – went out to eat, got to know each other’s background,” junior running back Cam Wallace said. “The love for these guys ... I feel as if I’ve known these guys for a long time. ... I love these guys. They’re my brothers.”
Sophomore wide receiver Peter Gonzalez said: “One of our core values as a group is just being excited for everyone’s successes. It’s less about the individual. It’s about the group. It’s about the team. That joy of taking pride in other people’s successes is going to be huge for us.”
But will all of this love and joy bring wins once September rolls around?
That might depend on the effectiveness of another important word during camp: Competition.
“Obviously, we work out together, compete with each other, make each other better,” Wallace said.
Fellow running back James Peoples experienced a lot of joyful winning over two seasons at Ohio State.
He joined the Nittany Lions this year after winning a national championship with the Buckeyes in 2024-25 and playing in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals in 2025-26.
Ahead of the Sept. 5 opener against Marshall – and the Big Ten Conference slate that begins Sept. 26 against Wisconsin – Peoples is battling for playing time alongside Wallace, returning back Quinton Martin Jr. and Iowa State transfer Carson Hansen.
May the best man win – knowing his teammates will be filled with joy either way.
“That’s what a competitive room does – we all push each other,” Peoples said. “It’s a brotherhood at the end of the day. We compete, and we make each other better.
“If one man’s down, you pick him up and keep going. That’s the kind of camaraderie we have in this room.”
Wide receiver Koby Howard said the right formula is part brotherly love with a heavy dose of intense competition.
“I just want to win with my teammates, honestly, win every game with them,” Howard said, “attack every day, be better for my team.”
At the end of the day, this Penn State program will only find joy in its own success.
That means improving on a 7-6 2025 season that saw James Franklin fired as head coach halfway through – taking with him that “can’t win the big game” reputation – ahead of the arrival of new chief philosopher Matt Campbell, over from Iowa State.
“Obviously, our goal is to try to make it all the way,” Howard said, “but we just have to take it one day at a time, get through fall camp, and just keep building that chemistry with each other so that when we get into the games it looks like no one ever transferred, like we’ve been together for four years.”
Chip Minemyer is the publisher of The Tribune-Democrat; The Daily Item in Sunbury; and The Times-News, in Cumberland, Md. He can be reached at 814-532-5111. Follow him on Twitter @MinemyerChip.
Leave a Comment