Iowa State Cyclones Should Be Thankful for Immense Success Under Matt Campbell

The Iowa State Cyclones became a great football program under Matt Campbell

Nov 1, 2025; Ames, Iowa, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham and Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell shake hands after the game at Jack Trice Stadium. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

As the Iowa State Cyclones usher in a new era led by Jimmy Rogers, the program should be thankful for what former head coach Matt Campbell was able to help them accomplish. 

While the Cyclones might not have had much success on the football field in the history of the program, Campbell was able to help change that when he came over from Toledo in 2016. The head coach went about building the program the right way, and they were able to sustain quite a bit of success during his 10-year run. 

In his first year, the program understandably had some struggles with the transition, and the talent just wasn’t quite there yet. In 2016, they went 3-9, but things started to go up after that. For the next five years, the program was over .500 in each campaign and played in a bowl game each year. 

The Cyclones might not have been title contenders during this stretch, but they were a much-improved program under Campbell. While the program had a tough campaign in 2022, they started to head in the right direction following that season. 2024 was arguably the best year under Campbell, with Iowa State going 11-3 and winning the Pop-Tarts Bowl. 

Campbell Changed the Program for the Better

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Even though it is sad to see the head coach leave for the Penn State Nittany Lions job, it is understandable. The Nittany Lions can be one of the best teams in the country, and the opportunities with them and the financial backing that they have are far superior to what the Cyclones would be able to provide to Campbell. 

This was a program that had a ton of success under James Franklin, but the knock on him was that he couldn’t win the big games. Campbell will have to prove himself in that area when he gets to Penn State, as that is a program that has much higher expectations than Iowa State. 

However, after 10 years with the Cyclones, Campbell has been regarded as an excellent head coach, and he has clearly always gotten the most out of his roster. With Penn State, he will undoubtedly get some better recruits, and the sky could be the limit for him. 

For Iowa State, they will be hoping that Rogers can take over for Campbell and continue the positive momentum for the program. He has been very successful as a head coach at different levels, but this will be a step up for him. 

Overall, while it is sad to see Campbell go, he is going to be going down as one of the best coaches in program history. 

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