Penn State is hoping Matt Campbell can restore some optimism in Happy Valley.
Almost two months after firing James Franklin, the Nittany Lions are bringing the Iowa State head coach on board, the school announced.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that the contract, which will run eight years, is now heading to Penn State’s board of trustees for final approval.
Head coach Matt Campbell of the Iowa State Cyclones calls a play during the second half against the TCU Horned Frogs. Getty Images“Coach Campbell is, without a doubt, the right leader at the right time for Penn State Football,” Patrick Kraft, vice president for intercollegiate athletics at Penn State, said in a statement on Friday. “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.”
The deal ends a 54-day search after Franklin was fired on Oct. 12 following an embarrassing loss to Northwestern, Penn State’s third straight at the time, which cemented its fall from preseason favorite.
Penn State ended its season at 6-6, including a 3-6 mark in the Big Ten.
Campbell has been Iowa State’s coach since 2016, putting together a 72-55 record with a 3-4 mark in bowl games. Over 15 years as a head coach, including his first five at Toledo, he’s 107-70 overall.
When finalized, the deal with Campbell comes after several high-profile candidates spurned the opportunity to coach the Nittany Lions, with BYU’s Kalani Sitake opting to sign an extension rather than move cross-country.
Indiana’s Curt Cignetti, Nebraska’s Matt Rhule, Texas A&M’s Mike Elko and Louisville’s Jeff Brohm all also chose to stay at their respective schools despite reported interest from Happy Valley.
Head coach Matt Campbell of the Iowa State Cyclones celebrates with his team after a stop against the TCU Horned Frogs. Getty Images“I was under the assumption that he was almost untouchable at this point, you know. And I know Penn State can pay whatever that is they need to pay if this ends up happening. But, I kind of thought, you know, maybe five years ago when he built Iowa State up, I thought that maybe somebody is going to come in and swoop him up. But I thought Iowa State has done a pretty good job of making it pretty clear, hey, the buyout is ridiculous, no one can come in here and take him, he’s our guy,” ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said on the “Pat McAfee Show” on Friday as the news broke.
“So, if this happens, that would be a major effort by Penn State to make this happen.”
Franklin, meanwhile, signed on for the head job at Virginia Tech with a reported five-year, $41.75 million deal — not including the $9 million buyout settlement, negotiated down from $49 million — from Penn State.
It’s the latest big move in the NCAA football coaching carousel that saw Lane Kiffin bolt national title contender Ole Miss before the College Football Playoff for LSU, replacing Brian Kelly, while Florida snagged Tulane’s Jon Sumrall to replace Billy Napier — who is expected to land at James Madison.
