Matt Campbell’s Stunning Move: Why Penn State Just Changed the College Football Landscape Forever

So, Penn State pulls the plug on James Franklin smack in the middle of the season — talk about shaking things up! Franklin’s already found a new gig at Virginia Tech, but now the Nittany Lions have been on a merry-go-round trying to snap up the right guy to take the reins. After missing out on heavy hitters like Kalen DeBoer, they’ve found their man: Matt Campbell. The Iowa State coach has been a steady hand, if not a titan, leading his team to some surprising heights, but here’s the million-dollar question — can he turn Penn State’s dreams of consistent Big Ten glory into reality? Campbell’s deal is nearly set for eight years, awaiting that final nod from the board, and given his track record rewriting Iowa State’s script, this could be the start of something big… or just another chapter in the ever-volatile world of college football coaching. Curious to see how this plays out? LEARN MORE

Penn State fired James Franklin mid-season. While Franklin found a new job at Virginia Tech, the Nittany Lions have been looking for a new head coach, as Penn State struck out on other top candidates like Kalen DeBoer. Now, Penn State has found the man to lead the future of the program, hiring Matt Campbell.

According to Pete Thamel of ESPN, Campbell and Penn State are finalizing a deal for eight years. Campbell has agreed to the deal, and now it is awaiting approval from the board.

Campbell has been the head coach at Iowa State since the 2016 campaign, leading them to a 72-55 record, with seven bowl appearances. Iowa State finished the regular season at 8-4, with a 5-4 record in conference play, placing them tied for seventh in the Big 12. Campbell has never won a Big 12 title, but has played for the title twice at Iowa State, something no other coach has done at Iowa State.

Further, the program had finished the season with seven or more wins just once in the ten years prior to Campbell’s arrival. In the ten years under their coach, they have finished with seven or more wins eight times.

Penn State is looking for sustained success, and more than the eight-win season that Iowa State claims as successful. James Franklin won ten or more games seven times during his tenure, but won the Big Ten just once and made the playoffs once. The playoff berth was in 2024, when Penn State lost in the CFP Semifinal.

Campbell started his coaching career at Bowling Green as a GA. After two years with Bowling Green, he was the offensive coordinator for Mount Union, a Division-III school, for two seasons. He returned to Bowling Green for two years before moving to Toledo as the offensive line coach and running game coordinator. When Tim Beckman departed for Illinois at the end of the 2011 regular season, it was Campbell who coached the Toledo bowl game and then earned the full-time job. He went 35-15 at Toledo before moving to Iowa State.

It had been rumored that Campbell was the latest top target for the Nittany Lions. Now, the best coach in Iowa State history is moving to a new challenge, as he heads to Penn State and the Big Ten.

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