WATCH: Matt Campbell formally introduced as Penn State’s new head coach
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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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After a 54-day search, Penn State finally found its head coach — and, at noon Monday, he was formally introduced in Happy Valley.
Former Iowa State coach Matt Campbell, 46, arrived on campus Sunday and took part in his introductory press conference Monday, meeting with reporters inside Beaver Stadium’s media room as the Nittany Lions’ 17th head coach.
The press conference at Penn State can be found below:
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. He was a three-time Big 12 Coach of the Year and the most successful coach in Cyclones history. That led one ESPN reporter to wonder aloud this offseason, “(H)ow many have done so much with so little so consistently as Campbell?”
Campbell was hired by Penn State after a process that began Oct. 12 when the Nittany Lions and athletic director Pat Kraft fired former head coach James Franklin. Franklin spent 11-plus years with the program and went 104-45 in that time, reaching the College Football Playoff once and winning the Big Ten once.
But Franklin’s inability to win the big game ultimately did him in, after a historically disappointing start to 2025. With national title expectations, Penn State dropped three straight games — two to 20-plus-point underdogs — to fall to 3-3. He was fired the day after a 22-21 loss to Northwestern.
Campbell takes over for interim head coach Terry Smith, who will remain on staff in some yet-to-be-announced capacity. Smith took the team to 3-3 the rest of the way, despite a season-ending injury to QB Drew Allar. At 6-6, the Nittany Lions earned an invitation to the Dec. 27 Pinstripe Bowl against Clemson.
This story was originally published December 8, 2025 at 11:36 AM.
