Penn State set to hire Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell on 8-year deal: Source
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New era of Penn State football
Penn State football has its next coach. Read more about Matt Campbell and what he’ll bring to the Nittany Lions.
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Penn State has found its next head coach.
After a process that lasted 54 days, the Nittany Lions are set to hire Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, pending board approval, the athletic department confirmed Friday night.
His contract with Penn State will be an eight-year deal, according to a source.
Campbell was at Iowa State for the last 10 seasons, compiling a 72-55 record in that time while having five 8-plus win seasons. The Cyclones have had only 10 seasons with at least eight wins since 1907.
Prior to his time there, Campbell spent just over four seasons at Toledo, going 35-15 and earning nine wins three times in that span. He was promoted to the job after he was the team’s offensive coordinator in 2010 and 2011.
He led the Cyclones to an 8-4 record this season.
Campbell was hired after a process that began on Oct. 12 when the Nittany Lions and athletic director Pat Kraft fired former head coach James Franklin. Franklin spent 11+ years with the program and went 104-45 in that time, reaching the College Football Playoff once and winning the Big Ten once.
“Coach Campbell is, without a doubt, the right leader at the right time for Penn State Football,” Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft wrote in a statement 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.”
Penn State’s search took many twists and turns, with the program getting down the road with their top target at the time, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake, before he decided to stay with the Cougars and several other candidates bowing out of the process.
Kraft wrote in the statement that Campbell and his family will be officially welcomed to Penn State on Monday, pending approval of terms by the board of trustees’ equity and human resources committee. A meeting had not been scheduled as of Friday night.
This story was originally published December 5, 2025 at 6:53 PM.
