The Penn State Nittany Lions might finally have a real leader in their sights, and it is a name college football fans have heard for years: Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell.
According to a report from On3, Penn State has shifted the focus of its coaching search to Matt Campbell, with the two sides communicating over the last 24 hours.
That is a big swing for athletic director Pat Kraft after the program struck out on BYU’s Kalani Sitake and Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, both of whom chose to stay put and signed extensions. Penn State fired former head coach James Franklin in October and has faced plenty of national backlash as the carousel kept moving without them.
So why zero in on Campbell now? The track record is hard to ignore. Since 2016, Matt Campbell has turned the Iowa State Cyclones from a Big 12 afterthought into a consistent problem, becoming the winningest coach in school history with more than 60 victories in Ames and seven winning seasons in the last eight years, according to ESPN.
His 2024 season alone would get him into any interview room. Iowa State went 11-3, reached the Big 12 championship game, and won the Pop-Tarts Bowl 42-41 over Miami, finishing No. 15 in the AP poll. This fall, the Cyclones followed with an 8-4 regular season, closing with a 20-13 win over Oklahoma State.
Campbell’s teams have a reputation that fits Big Ten weather. Physical, disciplined, and comfortable in tight games. Of course, interest goes both ways. Campbell just signed an extension through 2032 worth around $5 million annually, so prying him from Iowa State will not be cheap.
After all the public misses, though, this is the kind of hire that could calm a furious fan base, if Penn State can actually land him this time.
