Nick Sirianni's former college roommate is set to become head coach at Penn State

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The Penn State to Philadelphia connection should get even stronger after the Nittany Lions named the former Iowa State coach as their new head coach, replacing James Franklin. The Penn State search – spanning more than 50 days – has landed on the Iowa State and former Toledo coach who’s earned the reputation as one of the best leaders in the country.

Campbell, 46, is 72-55 overall and 50-40 in the Big 12 since taking over in Ames in 2016. The Cyclones beat Oklahoma (two) and Texas (three) a combined five times under Campbell. In the program’s 128-year history, it has 12 victories against those two schools.

Iowa State has made its only two Big 12 title game appearances under Campbell. Including a five-year stint as Toledo’s head coach, Campbell’s overall record is 107-70. Campbell has been involved in many coaching searches over the years. He received interest from the New York Jets that he declined, and he was a finalist for the USC job that went to Lincoln Riley.

Franklin was fired following the Nittany Lions’ 22-21 home loss to Northwestern on Oct. 11, making it three straight Big Ten losses for the preseason No. 2 team in the AP poll. The losing streak began with a double-overtime loss at home to No. 6 Oregon and also included a 42-37 defeat at previously winless UCLA. This dramatic decline stands in stark contrast to Penn State's preseason ranking and its performance earlier in the year. In January, the Nittany Lions were tied with Notre Dame late in the Orange Bowl national semifinal before an interception set up the Irish's game-winning field goal. However, Franklin consistently struggled in critical games, holding a 1-15 record against top-five teams, including 14 straight losses. As a result, frustration among fans continued to grow.

It was a shocking flip from not only Penn State’s preseason ranking, but from where it was in January. The Nittany Lions were tied with Notre Dame late in the Orange Bowl national semifinal before an interception set up the Irish’s game-winning field goal. But Franklin routinely fell short in big-game situations with a 1-15 record against top-five competition, including 14 consecutive losses, and fan frustration mounted.

This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Matt Campbell finalizing deal to become head coach at Penn State

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