Matt Campbell reportedly to accept head coach position at Penn State

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Much like the senior day article I wrote for Brock Purdy, I can’t even believe I’m typing this right now.

After a decade at the helm of Iowa State football, Matt Campbell is reportedly heading to State College, PA to accept the head coaching position at Penn State following maybe the most chaotic head coaching search process in modern college football history and a blustery couple of days for Cyclone fans.

I won’t lie to you. This is maybe the most devastated I’ve ever felt as an Iowa State fan and alum. Far beyond any individual loss or stroke of bad luck. We all knew he’d move on eventually, but that day always felt more nebulous than anything tangible. Deep down, I think we all hoped he’d stay forever, or at least until the day the sun finally ran out of hydrogen and consumed the Earth in an impossibly hot and massive hellfire.

Come to think of it, that doesn’t sound that bad right now.

Even when it came to the departures of legends like Georges Niang and Brock Purdy, we all could at least take solace knowing that the hourglass would have to run out at some point. But with Campbell, that refuge doesn’t exist. There are no overturned hourglasses or expired timers to lament. Just an empty office in the Jacobson Building.

Without a doubt, Campbell is the most important and successful figure in the history of Iowa State football, reaching two conference championship games and redefining what success looks like to a program and fanbase that had seen so little of it.

During his tenure in Ames, Campbell amassed a 107-70 record, by far the best of any coach to call Ames home, and sent dozens of players and coaches to bigger and better things. The modern era of Iowa State Athletics, the most successful in the history of the school, was defined by his insistence on doing things the right way and winning tons of football games with some of the best players in school history.

His impact on the program, athletic department, and university cannot be understated.

We’ll have plenty more coverage on this over the coming days and weeks, but today is a day for mourning and sadness. I’m sorry to have had to type this article, and I’m sorry to all of the Cyclone fans who are feeling the same sadness I am. The sun will rise again for Iowa State football, but today feels gloomier than most.

As for finding a replacement, I’ve identified a few targets already, but I would expect Iowa State to try to move quickly. Given the current college football calendar, Jamie Pollard will want to make a higher as soon as practical to make sure the program doesn’t lose momentum.

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