Penn State Coaching Search Takes An Unexpected Twist After National Signing Day Disaster
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The Penn State Nittany Lions opened the season ranked as the No. 2 team in college football, but fired head coach James Franklin after what was a disastrous 3-3 start.
Despite being one of the first programs to fire a head coach this season, Penn State has seen notable programs such as LSU, Florida, Cal and Kentucky, among others, all fire a coach and find a replacement before Penn State. The Nittany Lions have missed on notable candidates such as Matt Rhule (Nebraska), Eli Drinkwitz (Missouri), Jeff Brohm (Louisville) and Kalani Sitake (BYU), all of whom received extensions after being linked to the job.
An On3 report from earlier this week revealed that Penn State’s interest in other coaches has led to $300 million in extensions. The Ringer’s Todd McShay also recently revealed that agent Jimmy Sexton has been sabotaging Penn State’s coaching search as payback for firing Franklin, who is a client of his.
With the list of candidates getting smaller and smaller, and just two recruits signing with the program on Wednesday, Penn State has now turned its attention to a coach in the Big 12 who was the hottest name on the market about five years ago. That coach is Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, according to ESPN’s Matt Olson.
“Iowa State’s Matt Campbell has emerged as the focus of Penn State’s head coaching search, sources tell me, @PeteThamel and @ESPNRittenberg,” wrote Olson on X. “The sides are expected to meet and there’s mutual interest.”
Campbell has been in Ames for 10 years, compiling a 72-55 record, with last year’s 11-3 record being the most victories in a single season in program history. He was at one point floated for jobs at LSU, USC and Michigan, yet had stayed loyal to Iowa State.
If he doesn’t take the Penn State job, it’s safe to assume that Campbell may just be happy in Ames. From the Penn State perspective, they would truly have egg on their face after what has already looked like a hasty decision to fire Franklin.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Dec 5, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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