Penn State's Coaching Search 'Shifts' Towards Matt Campbell

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The past few weeks have been incredibly tough for Penn State's football team, but it sounds like the school's coaching search is nearing an end.

Immediately after Penn State fired James Franklin, most analysts assumed Matt Rhule would be the perfect fit for the program. It then seemed like BYU coach Kalani Sitake would take his talents over to Happy Valley, but he opted to sign an extension with the Cougars. While plenty of fans have trolled the Nittany Lions over the last month, there's a good chance they'll still end up with a great coach.

According to On3, Penn State is locked in on Iowa State coach Matt Campbell. The two sides have reportedly been in communication over the last 24 hours.

"Penn State is in discussions with Campbell about its vacancy after initiating contact with him Wednesday," ESPN's Max Olson wrote. "Both sides are early in the process, and any hire at Penn State will require additional steps and board approval."

Campbell, a three-time Big 12 Coach of the Year, owns a 72-55 record as the head coach of the Cyclones.

Fans react to this potential move.

"Program builder man," one fan said. "This would be a good get."

"Should’ve been first name they called and would be hella hire, except he starts with a zero recruiting class and divided fan/alumni base after a disastrous search," a second fan commented. "So job just got much tougher than it already was. Would he bring Rocco with him?"

"Matt please just say no for the fun of it," another fan wrote.

If Campbell ends up saying no to Penn State, we're not sure who the program would turn to next.

For now though, Campbell seems to be the man for the job.

This story was originally published by The Spun on Dec 5, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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