Iowa State Cyclones Facing Pressure From Penn State Nittany Lions Pursuing Head Coach

Will the Penn State Nittany Lions be successful in their pursuit of the Iowa State Cyclones head coach?

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The Iowa State Cyclones just had one of the most successful signing days in program history. Matt Campbell and his staff brought on a ton of high school prospects and one JUCO product to help improve the long-term outlook of the program.

However, just hours after those players all signed commitments to the Cyclones, is there a chance that the head coach is no longer going to be with the program?

Rumors are swirling that the Penn State Nittany Lions are shifting their focus to Campbell to become their next head coach. Reportedly, the two sides have been in contact within the last 24 hours.

NEW: Penn State has shifted the focus of its coaching search to Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, @PeteNakos, @clowfb & @Brett_McMurphy report👀

The two parties have been in communication in the last 24 hours. https://t.co/aZHEdu5Q1p pic.twitter.com/y6Bi8mPYYy

— On3 (@On3sports) December 5, 2025

Penn State fired its head coach, James Franklin, after a 3-3 start in 2025. He was at the helm since 2014 and experienced a good amount of success with the Nittany Lions.

Matt Campbell reportedly now top target for Penn State

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However, his tenure became known more for the big games that he lost than for anything that he accomplished. He has since been hired by the Virginia Tech Hokies, which has had a critical impact on the Penn State recruiting Class of 2026.

There were several defections, giving the Nittany Lions one of the lowest-rated classes in the country, with only two prospects signing. This late in the game, it would take a miracle, such as prying Campbell away from Iowa State, to fix the state of their recruiting class.

The head coaching search for Penn State has been a topsy-turvy one. They have pursued several candidates but have come up empty each time. 

Most recently, it was Kalani Sitake of the BYU Cougars who they had their focus on, but he is remaining with the team, as he is preparing for a Big 12 championship game this weekend.

Matt Campbell would be huge hiring for Nittany Lions at this stage

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Should the Nittany Lions be successful in prying Campbell away from Ames, it would be a home run hire based on their current circumstances. He has done a wonderful job turning the Cyclones into a respected program during his tenure.

Only 46 years old, Campbell has been a hot commodity on the head coaching carousel previously. That will likely continue to be the case, but he has time and time again turned down any offers to remain with Iowa State.

Will he do it again? Only time will tell, but Cyclones fans are certainly crossing their fingers hoping that their leader doesn’t depart for the Big Ten.

Campbell has a 72-55 record with Iowa State, leading the team to a bowl game in eight out of 10 seasons.