Matt Campbell Iowa State Penn State University

Penn State finally has their guy, Matt Campbell is set to become the program’s next head coach

Drew Smith
December 5, 2025
Philly
0 Comments

Penn State fans can finally exhale. After a 54 day coaching search that felt like Pat Kraft was throwing darts in a dark room, the Nittany Lions appear to have landed their next head coach.

According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Penn State is working to finalize a deal with Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell after meeting with him Thursday night in Iowa. The process is not fully complete, but it is trending toward Campbell taking the job in Happy Valley.

Matt Campbell in final stages to become next Penn State Football head coach

Breaking: Matt Campbell and Penn State are working toward a deal for him to become the next head coach for the Nittany Lions, sources told @PeteThamel.

There are multiple steps needed to finalize, including agreeing to terms and formal approval of compensation.

Get breaking… pic.twitter.com/qHXWN6secJ
— ESPN (@espn) December 5, 2025

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It took forever to get here and the search looked sloppy, directionless, and flat-out bizarre at times. In the end, Penn State might have backed into the best possible outcome. Matt Campbell is not a flashy hire and he probably was not the school’s first choice, but that does not make him the wrong choice.

In fact, the more you look at it, the more he looks like the perfect fit.

Matt Campbell is one of the most successful coaches in Iowa State history. He turned a perennial Big 12 afterthought into a program that won eight or more games multiple times and played for a conference championship last season.

He has built competitive teams with rosters that were consistently ranked near the bottom of the Big 12 in recruiting. He is known for identifying and developing quarterbacks other schools overlook.

He operates with a clear identity, plays complementary football, and understands the Midwest recruiting landscape better than almost anyone. That is exactly the region Penn State needs to dominate in an expanded Big Ten.

Ask opposing coaches who they would not want to see taking over at Penn State and Campbell’s name comes up quickly. He wins more with less, he prepares his teams well, and he regularly pulls off surprise upsets against Top 10 opponents.

For a program stuck in a cycle of beating the teams it should and losing the ones it cannot afford to, that shift in DNA matters.

There will be growing pains. Penn State’s roster took hits after James Franklin’s dismissal and a transition period is unavoidable. Campbell’s teams sometimes lose games they should win, but they also tend to hit their stride late in the season and peak at the right time. In an era with an expanded playoff and super conferences, that tradeoff is absolutely worth it.

This is one of the few jobs that could have pulled Campbell away from Ames. He has turned down multiple major college offers over the years and flirted with NFL openings instead. But Penn State checks all of his boxes.

It offers better resources, a higher recruiting ceiling, a national brand, and a clear pathway toward contention. Now he steps into a role with a simple mandate. Win big games. Get Penn State over the hump. Turn potential into reality.

There are unknowns. Campbell has never coached with this level of attention or scrutiny. He has never had this many four and five star players to manage and develop. He has never operated inside a pressure cooker like the modern Big Ten.

Penn State gives him everything he needs to succeed. Financial backing, recruiting territory, administrative support, and a fanbase that is starving for a new identity.

Sometimes the initial target is not the right one. Sometimes the drawn out search ends up helping you figure out what you truly need. Penn State may not have landed Matt Campbell at the beginning of this process, but they landed him in the end, and that is all that matters.

Penn State finally got there. Campbell is a proven builder, a relentless developer, and a coach who has squeezed every ounce of potential out of the places he has been. If he can win at Iowa State, he can absolutely win at Penn State.

Penn State stumbled through a messy search and still managed to find the right coach. In the long run, Matt Campbell might be exactly the guy who changes everything for the Nittany Lions.