Why Penn State Targeting Iowa State Coach Makes Sense After James Franklin Firing

The Iowa State Cyclones are going to have their work cut out retaining their coach should the Penn State Nittany Lions come calling after firing James Franklin.

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The Iowa State Cyclones and the college football world were hit with some massive news over the weekend. The Penn State Nittany Lions surprised a lot of people by announcing they had fired head coach James Franklin.

Their decision came just a day after the team lost in Happy Valley to the Northwestern Wildcats. It was the second shocking upset in a row for Penn State, which suffered a loss to the previously winless UCLA Bruins the week prior, who were massive underdogs.

The Nittany Lions are riding a three-game losing streak, which was kicked off by an overtime loss to the Oregon Ducks at home. Also, their star quarterback, Drew Allar, suffered a season-ending injury against Northwestern.

In what was considered a championship-or-bust campaign after losing to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the College Football Playoff semifinal nine months ago, the Penn State decision-makers decided it was time to move on from Franklin.

His tenure with the Nittany Lions featured massive amounts of success with a 104-45 record. However, he was never able to get over the hump in the most important of games. His 11-plus-year tenure with the school will be remembered mostly for his inability to win the big one. That is punctuated by the fact that he beat the Ohio State Buckeyes only once in 11 attempts.

Matt Campbell listed as potential Penn Stat head coaching target

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So, how does this firing have any impact on Iowa State? Their head coach, Matt Campbell, has been listed as a potential candidate for the Penn State head coaching vacancy by Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.

This isn’t the first, nor will it be the last time, that Campbell is mentioned as a candidate for a major job around the country. He was also connected to the UCLA opening. To this point, he has turned down all offers, staying in Ames and building a strong program.

Alas, the Nittany Lions could be one of the teams that convince him the grass is greener elsewhere.

“Penn State has long been mentioned as a program that would intrigue him, along with fellow Big Ten heavies Ohio State and Michigan, as well as Notre Dame,” Rittenberg wrote.

Fiercely loyal to the Cyclones, it will take a lot to pry Campbell away from Iowa State. Alas, there is plenty to like about the Penn State opening.

Penn State can offer Matt Campbell things Iowa State cannot

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As Rittenberg noted, this is reportedly one of the programs that would intrigue the Cyclones’ head coach, and it is easy to see why. The financial backing that the Nittany Lions have is not something he will ever get at Iowa State.

In the modern age of collegiate sports, money talks. High school recruits and players hitting the transfer portal as a form of free agency makes landing players all the more difficult.

A program such as Penn State can chase those star players. There has been a willingness to spend on NIL, facilities and other areas to improve their odds of contending for a championship.

Given Campbell’s ability to develop and build a roster and program, imagine what he could achieve with the ability to bring in A+ talent along with it?

He clearly loves his current job and will hold it for however long he wants. But if contending for a national championship is the ultimate goal, there is a ceiling on how competitive Iowa State can be with its monetary limitations.

No such limits exist in Happy Valley, where the pressure would be immense but the reward could be legendary. Matching the kind of contract Campbell could receive from the Big Ten powerhouse would be a challenge in itself.