Penn State named Iowa State coach Matt Campbell its head football coach, the school announced Friday. The eight-year deal will go before the compensation committee of the board of trustees for final approval Monday, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
“Coach Campbell is, without a doubt, the right leader at the right time for Penn State Football,” Patrick Kraft, the school’s vice president for intercollegiate athletics, said in a statement. “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.”
Campbell, the winningest coach in Iowa State history, met with Penn State officials Thursday night and negotiated a deal Friday. Iowa State quickly moved to hire Washington State coach Jimmy Rogers to replace him, the school announced.
Penn State shifted to Campbell in its search to replace longtime coach James Franklin, who was fired Oct. 12. The program had also pursued BYU coach Kalani Sitake before Sitake agreed to a long-term extension to remain with the Cougars.
Campbell, 46, spent 10 seasons at Iowa State, earning three Big 12 Coach of the Year awards, eight winning seasons, two Big 12 championship-game appearances and a Fiesta Bowl victory over Oregon in 2020 that produced the school’s first top-10 finish. He went 72-55 at Iowa State and was 35-15 at Toledo from 2011-15. Campbell has developed 15 NFL draft picks over the past seven years, including Brock Purdy, Breece Hall, David Montgomery and Will McDonald IV, who became the first Cyclone taken in the first round since 1973.
A Massillon, Ohio, native, Campbell began his college playing career at Pitt before winning three Division III national championships at Mount Union. Under his tenure, Iowa State had its first 10-win season and recorded 14 wins over AP Top 25 teams; the Cyclones were 8-4 this season after starting 5-0, and went 11-3 in 2024, finishing No. 15 after a Pop‑Tarts Bowl victory over Miami. Iowa State would have advanced to the College Football Playoff with a win over Arizona State in the Big 12 title game last season.
Campbell had been linked to other high-profile openings during his time at Iowa State, including NFL and Power Five jobs, but largely stayed in Ames to build the program. He was earning about $5 million per year after signing an extension through 2032 earlier this year.
Penn State entered the 2025 season ranked No. 2 in the preseason AP Top 25 and was expected to compete for a national title after reaching the College Football Playoff semifinals last season. Franklin was fired after a three-game losing streak to open Big Ten play left the Nittany Lions 3-3. Franklin agreed to a five-year deal at Virginia Tech on Nov. 17 and reached a $9 million settlement with Penn State on the $49 million buyout he was originally owed.
Former Penn State interim coach Terry Smith, a program graduate who led the Nittany Lions to three straight Big Ten wins to finish 6-6 and become bowl-eligible, agreed to a four-year deal to stay on staff and work with Campbell, sources told Thamel.
