Source: Penn State Set to Hire Iowa State’s Matt Campbell As Next Head Coach

Campbell’s hiring ends the agonizing search to replace James Franklin.

Penn State is hiring Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell. / Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Penn State’s search for a new head coach has finally come to an end.

After nearly two months and many twists and turns, the Nittany Lions have found the successor to James Franklin, as they are set to hire Iowa State’s Matt Campbell. Sports Illustrated’s Bryan Fischer reported Friday that Penn State and Campbell have “agreed to broad terms” to make him the Nittany Lions’ next coach.

Penn State and Matt Campbell have agreed to broad terms that will make Campbell the next head coach in State College, per a source. @RossDellenger first. Nittany Lions search is down to hours some 54 days after dismissing James Franklin.

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) December 5, 2025

The 46-year-old Campbell is highly respected in the industry for the job he has done in Ames. He has been connected to a ton of job openings during his 10-year stint leading the Cyclones, and it felt like a matter of time before he was given a shot at leading a top program. This season, he coached the Cyclones to an 8-4 record.

After firing Franklin on Oct. 12, Penn State was connected to several top coaches but couldn’t land one. Nebraska’s Matt Rhule, Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, Louisville’s Jeff Brohm, and Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz were all linked to the job, but none wound up taking it.

The school had a very public pursuit of Kalani Sitake, who ultimately chose to remain at BYU.

Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft faced increasing criticism for taking too long to make a hire. That delay cost the program nearly its entire recruiting class, as only two players signed with the school on Wednesday.

In the end, Campbell is a good hire. He has had a ton of success at a school with paltry resources in comparison to those available in Happy Valley.

The agonizing search for Penn State’s next coach is over. Now the hard part of rebuilding the program begins.

Matt Campbell’s coaching record

Campbell is only 46 years old, but is in his 15th season as a college head coach. The Massillon, Ohio, native played one season as a defensive lineman at Pitt in 1998, before transferring to finish his career at Mount Union, where his teams won three Division III championships.

Bowling Green hired him as a graduate assistant in 2003, but it wasn’t long before his alma mater came calling. Mount Union hired him as its offensive coordinator and offensive line coach in 2005, but in 2007, Bowling Green hired him away as its offensive line coach.

Campbell moved on to become the offensive line coach at Toledo in 2009, then added the offensive coordinator title in 2010. He was made the permanent head coach at the end of the 2011 season when Tim Beckman left to take the Illinois job.

In four full seasons at Toledo, Campbell went 35-15 and 24-8 in the MAC. After taking the Rockets to back-to-back MAC title games in 2014 and 2015, Iowa State hired him.

Over the past 10 seasons, Campbell has amassed a 72-55 record with the Cyclones and has gone 50-40 in conference play. For a program that went 8-28 in the three seasons before his arrival, that’s pretty remarkable.

Campbell has authored two top 15 finishes, reached the Big 12 title game twice (including in 2024), and won the Fiesta Bowl during the 2020 season.

During his 15-year career, Campbell has gone 107-70 (.605).

Now he’ll head to Penn State, a program that will expect him to win at a much higher clip than he ever has.

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