Matt Campbell emerges in Penn State football head coaching search

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With Penn State football's now well-documented struggles to land a marquee head coach following their Oct. 12 dismissal of James Franklin, the Nittany Lions are reportedly focused on luring Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell from Ames to State College.

Despite a 3-6 record against the Hawkeyes during his time in Ames, Campbell has resurrected the Cyclones program from some of its darkest times, posting a 72-55 record in 10 seasons at Iowa State. In that span, he won Big 12 Coach of the Year three times and made trips to the Big 12 Championship game in 2020 and 2024.

For Penn State, the possible hire would bring an end to a search that has lasted more than 50 days for a program that began the 2025-26 season ranked No. 2 in the nation and has more than enough resources to return to its elite national status.

Similar to the coaching style that led newly named Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald to success at Northwestern, Campbell has also mastered the craft of turning three and four-star recruits into premier athletes. Obviously, the influence of NIL in today's world of college athletics makes that coaching philosophy much more challenging to replicate. Still, the strong culture Campbell could instill in State College far outweighs any price tag or

From an Iowa perspective, Penn State luring Campbell away from Iowa State would likely weaken the Cyclones' program in the immediate and possibly the long-term future. However, it would also add another premier name to the Big Te conference, littered with premier coaches like the previously mentioned Fitzgerald, Ryan Day, Lincoln Riley, Dan Lanning, Curt Cignetti, and the legendary Kirk Ferentz.

Obviously, the reports are still fluid, and the progress could collapse as it did with Penn State's attempt to lure Kalani Sitaki from BYU. Although if the reports hold merit, it appears the Nittany Lions could be on their way to poach Campbell from the Hawkeyes' in-state rival.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Matt Campbell emerges in Penn State football head coaching search

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