Pa. high school football coaches laud Penn State's Matt Campbell hire

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Penn State football hired Matt Campbell as its latest head coach on Dec. 5, ending a winding coaching search that lasted nearly two months and rolled through a laundry list of potential candidates.

Campbell brings 14 seasons' worth of experience to the Nittany Lions, having previously headed Iowa State from 2016 to 2025, and Mid-American Conference program Toledo for four full seasons between 2012 and 2015.

With Campbell's hire, multiple high school coaches across the state see the move as positive, even if they haven't built a relationship with Campbell or his incoming staff yet.

Russ Stoner, head coach at York High and head of the nonprofit Accountability For Life, is optimistic about the hire. Campbell has proven his worth as a Power Four conference coach already, and Stoner believes he can help keep Penn State in national contention.

"I don't know coach Campbell, but I'm going to root for coach Campbell," Stoner said. "I want our state, them and Pitt, to always be in the national hunt. It's good for Pennsylvania football and Pennsylvania football coaches."

During his 10 seasons heading the Cyclones, Campbell accrued a 72-55 overall record, two Big 12 Conference championship appearances and a 3-3 record in bowl games. Iowa State ended the 2020 and 2024 seasons ranked No. 9 and No. 15 respectively in the Coaches Poll.

He was 35-15 while at Toledo, including winning the Mid-American Conference West in 2014 and 2015. Campbell has only had two losing seasons throughout his entire coaching career, both at Iowa State.

Stoner and Central York coach Gerry Yonchiuk both credit Campbell's success during his previous coaching tenure at Iowa State for their high hopes following his introduction.

Stoner and Yonchiuk also see a bonus in the Nittany Lions retaining a handful of former coach James Franklin's staff instead of a full sweep out of the old guard. With the retention of interim head coach Terry Smith, much of the foundation for relationships between Campbell's staff and high school coaches across the state have already been laid.

"Terry's an unbelievable person and man, so that was a slam dunk," Yonchiuk said. "That would have been a major loss for Penn State if Terry had gone to Virginia Tech or just gone elsewhere. As many guys as coach Franklin had on his staff that remain there is going to help the transition, and it should make the move a lot smoother."

Bishop McDevitt football coach and head of NCAA recruiting Jeff Weachter recalls interacting with Campbell during his first stint as a head coach at Toledo. Though initially disappointed following Franklin's firing in October, Weachter respects Campbell's abilities and believes he was the correct hire given Penn State's extended search.

"The situation they were kind of in and the way it was looking, I think they did a good job," Weachter said. "I have a lot of respect for coach Campbell. He runs a great program … What I know of him from Toledo, and then watching him on Iowa State and some of the things he's done, I think it's a good hire."

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Pa. high school football coaches laud Penn State's Matt Campbell hire

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