(WHTM) – Iowa State head football coach Matt Campbell is set to become the 17th full-time head coach in Penn State football history, and ends a nearly two months long saga for the program.
“Coach Campbell is, without a doubt, the right leader at the right time for Penn State Football,” said Patrick Kraft, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics at Penn State, on Friday night. “He is a stellar coach with a proven track record of success and his values, character and approach to leading student-athletes to success on and off the field align perfectly with the traditions and values of Penn State.”
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the two sides had worked on an eight-year contract that will require approval from the Penn State Board of Directors. Kraft announced that the board will review Campbell’s deal on Monday.
On December 4, Campbell and Penn State were first reported to have mutual interest, and on Friday afternoon, they were said to be in the final stages of a deal.
“As we start this exciting next chapter for our football program with Coach Campbell at the helm, the future is bright,” Kraft added. “We will continue to build upon and elevate the high standard that is the hallmark of our program.”
Campbell’s reported hiring drew praise from analysts across the sport, including ESPN host Pat McAfee, seven-time national championship head coach Nick Saban, and ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit.
An Ohio native who grew up four hours from State College, Campbell has won multiple Big 12 Coach of the Year honors while coaching the Cyclones for 10 seasons. He’s won five bowl games at Iowa State, including the 2021 Fiesta Bowl.
Prior to coaching at Iowa State, Campbell worked at Bowling Green, Mount Union, and Toledo, where he won two MAC championships.
Campbell’s hiring comes nearly two months after Penn State fired head coach James Franklin and a depleted recruiting class that many experts have ranked among the nation’s worst. He’ll also come into a $700 million renovation of Beaver Stadium that is expected to be completed for the 2027 season.
After starting the season with championship aspirations, a 3-0 start, and a top two AP ranking in the AP, Franklin’s place among fans soured with a 2OT White Out loss to Oregon. The animosity between fans and Franklin grew after losing to a winless UCLA team and a home loss to Northwestern, despite Franklin leading Penn State to the College Football Playoff Semifinals nine months prior.
Franklin was fired the day after being booed out of Beaver Stadium, paving the way for former Nittany Lions wide receiver Terry Smith to become the interim head coach.
Smith will remain with the program as a member of Campbell’s coaching staff.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude to Coach Terry Smith for stepping up when we needed him the most and for rallying our team to finish this season with three straight wins,” added Kraft. “Coach Smith bleeds blue and white and pours his entire heart and soul into Penn State Football. I’m deeply grateful for his commitment to our University, and I am excited that he will continue to be a part of this program.”
The Nittany Lions finished the regular season 6-6 after winning the final three games under Smith to become bowl eligible and end the longest losing streak (six games) since 2004. Players advocated for Smith during the final home game, holding signs that said “Hire Terry Smith.”
Franklin has since been hired as Virginia Tech’s head coach, bringing a significant chunk of Penn State’s recruiting class with him to Blacksburg. Several potential candidates have since either expressed no interest in the job or signed contract extensions with their current programs.