Here are 5 Iowa State coaches who could join Matt Campbell at Penn State
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Campbell will assemble staff at Penn State and may bring Mouser from Iowa State
- Scheelhaase stands as a primary target to call plays or seek a head job
- Waters could join as quarterbacks coach, possibly reuniting Becht with Campbell
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Now that Penn State has its head coach in Matt Campbell, the focus will turn to his staff.
Campbell will be thrown into the thick of it and will have to quickly assemble a coaching staff to help him hit the ground running with the Nittany Lions.
He has several long-time assistants from Iowa State, and could look to bring them with him. Who are the candidates from the Cyclones or with ties to Campbell who could join?
Let’s take a look.
Iowa State offensive coordinator/tight ends coach Taylor Mouser
Mouser has spent his entire with Campbell rising through the ranks, from being a graduate at Toledo and then Iowa State, to off-field full-time positions to tight ends coach to finally, to offensive coordinator. He has led the unit for the last two seasons but has not necessarily produced prolific offenses, and it will be interesting if the career-long Campbell assistant comes to Penn State to lead the offense or potentially joins as the tight ends coach with a more experienced coordinator leading the group. That could make more sense for a program like Penn State, which would allow Mouser to continue developing as a potential play-caller down the road.
Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase
If Mouser were to join as an assistant, it would make sense for Campbell to target Scheelhaase as his offensive coordinator. Fans may remember him from his playing days when he was a quarterback at Illinois, but the 35-year-old has had a quality career as a coach to this point. He was with Campbell as an assistant from 2018 to 2023 before leaving for the Rams, and held various roles with the Cyclones, including the offensive coordinator job in 2023. Scheelhaase would be an ideal target to be Campbell’s offensive coordinator, but there’s also a decent chance he’s Iowa State’s top choice to be its next head coach.
Iowa State quarterbacks coach Jake Waters
This might be another familiar name for Penn State fans. Waters was a junior college quarterback in 2013 and was deciding between the Nittany Lions and Kansas State, with the expectation that he would end up in State College. He wound up joining the Wildcats instead and ended up in coaching by 2015. He joined Campbell in 2021 as a quality control coach, with a promotion to quarterbacks coach in 2024, which is the title he’s held the last two years. It would make a lot of sense if he were to join Campbell, especially if Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht ends up transferring to Penn State to join his old head coach.
Iowa State cornerbacks coach Hank Poteat
Poteat would be an interesting fit if interim head coach Terry Smith isn’t retained as cornerbacks coach. The former Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back went to high school in Harrisburg and is plenty familiar with Pennsylvania. If Smith moves on, Poteat would be a good bet to join Campbell to help build some of the relationships with high school coaches necessary to recruit at a high level in the state. He’s been a cornerbacks coach since 2015, with stops at Kent State, Toledo and Wisconsin prior to his three seasons with Campbell and the Cyclones.
Iowa State wide receivers coach Noah Pauley
Pauley feels like a no-brainer for Campbell to bring with him as wide receivers coach. The new Penn State head coach originally plucked him from North Dakota State, where he spent four years before joining Iowa State in 2023. He and the Iowa State receivers have had a lot of success over the last three years, with two of his guys getting drafted in the first three rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft in Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. Penn State hasn’t had a player go that high since Jahan Dotson went in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Pauley could come in and completely revamp a position that has come under plenty of scrutiny in recent years at Penn State.
This story was originally published December 5, 2025 at 7:19 PM.
