Why Matt Campbell Is the Right Man to Lead Penn State Football

Penn State did not hire Matt Campbell to preserve the status quo. It hired him to build something stronger.

That distinction matters because James Franklin did not leave behind a broken program. He won 104 games, captured a Big Ten championship and led the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoff semifinals. His tenure restored Penn State’s national relevance. But by the middle of the 2025 season, the program had stalled at the precise point where Penn State expected it to advance.

The Nittany Lions entered that season ranked No. 2 nationally, only to lose consecutive games to Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern. Following a 22–21 home loss to Northwestern, Franklin was dismissed with Penn State sitting at 3–3. His larger problem had become impossible to ignore: the Nittany Lions were consistently good but rarely good enough against comparable or superior opponents. Franklin finished 1–10 against Ohio State, 3–7 against Michigan and 4–21 against top-10 competition.

Penn State needed more than a recruiter, salesman or splashy press-conference winner. It needed a coach capable of evaluating talent, establishing a culture, developing players and solving problems without always possessing the most expensive roster in the conference.

That is why Matt Campbell is the right man for the job.

Campbell Has Already Built the Nearly Impossible

It is easy to look at Campbell’s 72–55 record at Iowa State and wonder whether Penn State hired a coach whose résumé lacks enough championships. That surface-level assessment ignores the most important part of his record: where those victories occurred.

Iowa State had traditionally been one of the most difficult jobs in major college football. The Cyclones lacked the recruiting territory, tradition, facilities and national profile available to many of their conference opponents. Before Campbell arrived, Iowa State had recorded only one winning season in the previous ten years.

Campbell did not inherit a sleeping giant. He inherited a program that had spent most of its history trying to become consistently respectable.

He made it relevant.

Campbell produced eight of Iowa State’s nine winning conference seasons of the Big 12 era. From 2017 through 2025, the Cyclones recorded 48 Big 12 victories—more than any current conference member over that stretch. He became the winningest coach in Iowa State history and led the program to seven bowl appearances.

In 2020, Iowa State finished first in the Big 12 regular-season standings, reached the conference championship game and defeated Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl. The Cyclones finished ninth in the final polls, their highest ranking in program history.

Then came the 2024 season. Campbell led Iowa State to an 11–3 record, the first 11-win season in the program’s 133-year history. The Cyclones returned to the Big 12 Championship Game and defeated No. 15 Miami 42–41 in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

Campbell did something much more meaningful than collecting a few surprising upsets. He changed what Iowa State believed it could become.

Now imagine what that same program-building ability can accomplish with Penn State’s resources, tradition, facilities, recruiting territory and national reach.

He Has Always Done More With Less

The concern about Campbell is obvious: he never won a Big 12 championship at Iowa State.

That is a fair criticism. Penn State did not make this change simply to win eight or nine games. The expectation in State College is to compete for Big Ten and national championships.

But Campbell’s failure to win the Big 12 at Iowa State does not prove he cannot win the Big Ten at Penn State. It proves there was a ceiling to what he could reasonably sustain at one of the most challenging Power Four programs in the country.

At Iowa State, Campbell had to identify overlooked prospects, keep veteran players in the program and develop three-star recruits into all-conference performers. He could not simply overwhelm opponents by collecting blue-chip talent. He had to be better at evaluation, teaching, preparation and retention.

Campbell coached 18 All-Americans during his Iowa State tenure. Across his coaching career, 39 of his players reached the NFL. He developed players such as Brock Purdy, Breece Hall, David Montgomery, Will McDonald IV, Xavier Hutchinson, Charlie Kolar, Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel.

Those players did not all arrive in Ames as ready-made stars. Campbell and his staff helped turn them into stars.

Penn State has rarely lacked talent. Its problem has been maximizing that talent in the biggest games. Campbell’s developmental background gives the Nittany Lions a coach whose entire career has been built around finding and creating advantages.

At Penn State, Campbell will no longer have to beat resource-rich opponents with a roster assembled almost entirely from developmental prospects. He will have access to four- and five-star recruits, a massive fan base, improved name, image and likeness support and one of the most recognizable brands in college football.

He finally has resources that match his coaching ability.

His Midwestern Roots Fit the Big Ten

Campbell understands the geographic, cultural and physical identity of Big Ten football.

He grew up in Massillon, Ohio, one of the most football-obsessed communities in America. He played defensive line at Mount Union, winning three national championships and earning All-America recognition twice. He later coached at Mount Union, Bowling Green and Toledo before taking over at Iowa State.

Campbell’s football education was built in Ohio and the Midwest. He understands cold-weather football, line play, player development and the importance of building a program from the inside out.

That background matters at Penn State.

The Nittany Lions must recruit nationally, but they cannot afford to lose their foundation in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and the rest of the Northeast. Campbell has spent his career identifying players throughout many of those regions. His history at Toledo, Iowa State and Mount Union gives him valuable connections across the Midwest as Penn State competes with Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame and other national powers.

He also understands that Big Ten championships are usually won at the line of scrimmage. Campbell began his coaching career working primarily with offensive linemen and running games. His best teams at Iowa State were generally physical, disciplined and difficult to overwhelm.

Penn State does not need to reinvent its football identity. It needs to sharpen it.

Campbell Is a Culture Builder, Not a Program Tourist

Modern college football has produced plenty of coaches who are constantly looking for their next raise, next contract or next high-profile opportunity.

Campbell’s career suggests something different.

He remained at Iowa State for ten seasons despite repeatedly being connected to bigger college jobs and NFL opportunities. He could have left Ames earlier. Instead, he stayed long enough to make his success sustainable and become the winningest coach in school history.

That loyalty should matter to Penn State.

Campbell does not appear interested in short-term roster construction or temporary success. His programs have traditionally emphasized internal development, player retention and strong relationships between coaches and athletes. Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft specifically cited Campbell’s ability to evaluate players, retain talent and assemble a staff as significant reasons for the hire.

The transfer portal has forced Campbell to adjust his usual approach. Because he accepted the Penn State job after the December signing period and inherited a roster disrupted by the coaching change, the Nittany Lions added approximately 40 players through the portal.

That is not Campbell abandoning his principles. It is Campbell recognizing the reality of the situation.

He used the portal because Penn State needed immediate roster stability. His long-term plan, however, remains centered on recruiting high school players, retaining them and developing them over multiple seasons. That model is more sustainable than rebuilding half the roster every winter.

Keeping Terry Smith Was an Important Decision

Campbell also demonstrated good judgment by retaining Terry Smith as associate head coach and cornerbacks coach.

Smith is a former Penn State player with deep connections to the program, the state and its recruiting base. He served as interim head coach following Franklin’s dismissal and was respected inside the locker room.

An insecure coach might have removed every connection to the previous staff. Campbell recognized that Penn State’s history and relationships were assets, not threats.

Keeping Smith created continuity during a chaotic transition. It also sent an important message to former players and Pennsylvania high school coaches: Campbell was coming to lead Penn State, not erase it.

Campbell has made a deliberate effort to reconnect former Penn State players with the current program. That is not empty nostalgia. Great college football programs draw strength from multiple generations. Former players can help reinforce standards, build relationships and remind the current roster what representing Penn State means.

Campbell understands that he inherited more than a team. He inherited an institution.

His Staff Blends Trust With New Ideas

Campbell brought several trusted Iowa State assistants with him, including offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Taylor Mouser. Mouser spent ten seasons working under Campbell and served as Iowa State’s offensive coordinator during his final two years in Ames. Penn State also retained Smith and hired D’Anton Lynn as defensive coordinator.

There is understandable concern whenever a coach brings too many assistants from a less prominent program. Penn State should not become Iowa State East. The expectations and weekly pressures are significantly different.

However, a new coach also needs assistants who understand his standards, terminology and practice structure. Campbell did not have the luxury of spending a year introducing his philosophy. Trusted assistants allow him to establish the program more quickly.

The presence of Lynn is especially important. He brings experience from both college football and the NFL and gives the defensive staff a leader whose résumé extends beyond Campbell’s immediate coaching tree. Smith’s retention adds another independent and valuable voice.

Campbell’s staff is not simply a collection of old friends. It combines continuity, institutional knowledge and outside experience.

He Understands That Penn State’s Standard Is Different

Campbell’s greatest challenge will not be rebuilding Penn State. It will be elevating it.

A 9–3 season might have been celebrated at Iowa State. At Penn State, it can feel disappointing—especially if the losses come against Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon or another championship contender.

Campbell must prove he can coach aggressively when the talent level is equal. He must avoid becoming overly conservative in important moments. He must recruit at a top-10 level, manage the portal, raise enough NIL support and build an offense capable of winning when the running game is contained.

Those are legitimate questions, and the hiring should not be treated as a guaranteed success.

But Campbell has spent his career preparing for this opportunity. He knows he is no longer coaching the underdog. Penn State does not need moral victories or close losses against elite teams. It needs conference championships and deep playoff runs.

The advantage is that Campbell has already learned how to win without superior talent. He has coached teams that had to execute correctly, avoid self-inflicted mistakes and remain composed in close games. The 2024 Cyclones produced four winning scores in the final two minutes, a reflection of preparation and resilience.

If Campbell can combine those qualities with Penn State’s recruiting power, the Nittany Lions will be equipped to win more than nine games.

They will be equipped to win the games that define a season.

Penn State Needed Substance More Than Celebrity

Campbell may not have been the flashiest name available. He does not create the drama of Lane Kiffin or carry the immediate championship résumé of some of the sport’s highest-paid coaches.

But Penn State did not need a celebrity.

It needed a grown-up capable of handling one of college football’s most demanding jobs.

Campbell has spent his career building offensive lines, developing quarterbacks, identifying undervalued prospects and constructing teams that are stronger than the sum of their recruiting rankings. He has won at Toledo. He accomplished unprecedented things at Iowa State. He has Midwest roots, Power Four experience and a history of creating stable programs.

Most importantly, Campbell knows how to establish belief without relying on hype.

Penn State already possesses the brand, stadium, fan support and tradition. What it needs is a coach who can align all those advantages and direct them toward the same goal.

Campbell Deserves Time—but Not Unlimited Time

Penn State fans should be realistic about the first season.

Campbell inherited a program that had gone through a midseason firing, a 6–6 regular season, recruiting disruption and substantial roster turnover. Nearly 40 transfer additions may address immediate needs, but talent accumulation does not automatically create chemistry.

The 2026 Nittany Lions could be dangerous, but Campbell’s first season should not be treated as the final verdict on his tenure.

By Year Two, Penn State should look more organized, physical and consistent. By Year Three, the Nittany Lions should be firmly in the Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff conversation. Campbell was given an eight-year agreement, but the expectations at Penn State will not allow the program to spend five years finding itself.

He deserves enough time to install his system and develop his recruits. He does not deserve a permanent rebuilding excuse.

Campbell would probably agree.

The Final Verdict

Matt Campbell is the right man for Penn State because his entire career has been an exercise in building, developing and maximizing.

He transformed Iowa State from one of the most difficult jobs in major college football into a consistent winner. He delivered the two highest AP finishes in school history, the program’s first major-bowl victory and its first 11-win season. He became Iowa State’s all-time wins leader while producing All-Americans and NFL players without the natural advantages enjoyed by college football’s traditional powers.

Now he has those advantages.

Penn State gives Campbell access to better recruiting, stronger resources, a larger national platform and a realistic path to the College Football Playoff. Campbell gives Penn State something equally important: a proven program builder whose teams have always had to earn everything they achieved.

The hiring will ultimately be judged by victories over elite opponents, Big Ten championships and playoff success. That is the standard, and Campbell cannot escape it.

But Penn State was not hiring a résumé. It was hiring the qualities required to take the program’s next step.

Matt Campbell has those qualities. He has built winners, developed talent, created stability and produced historic results at places where winning was considerably harder.

At Iowa State, Campbell proved he could build more with less.

At Penn State, he finally has the opportunity to show how much he can build with more.