Penn State working to finalize deal to hire Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, per report
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Penn State has a new top target to replace James Franklin as its head coach for the 2026 season, and it’s Iowa State’s Matt Campbell.
According to a report on Friday afternoon by On3’s Pete Nakos, Chris Low and Brett McMurphy, Campbell “has emerged as the Nittany Lions’ top target and the two (sides) are working to finalize a deal.”
Terry Smith has been Penn State’s interim head coach in the aftermath of Franklin’s firing, and Smith was “seen as a candidate for the position,” according to Friday’s report by On3. Franklin was hired as the new head coach at Virginia Tech last month, and now it appears Penn State is closing in on a candidate to replace Franklin in State College.
Campbell has been at Iowa State for a decade, taking over in 2016. He has a 72-55 overall record since taking over for the Cyclones program, which he’s led to bowl games in 8 of his first 9 seasons. Campbell won double-digit games at Iowa State last year, leading the Cyclones to an 11-3 record, and he followed that up this season with an 8-4 record that is sure to produce yet another bowl bid this Sunday.
His head coaching career began in 2012 at Toledo, where he went 35-15. Campbell was the head coach at Toledo through the 2015 season, and he finished his tenure there with a bang, being named MAC Coach of the Year in 2015. He led the Rockets to consecutive division titles in the MAC in 2014 and 2015 before heading off to Iowa State.
Now, it appears the 46-year-old could be heading from the Big 12 to the Big Ten next fall at Penn State.
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
