Iowa State Cyclones Suffer Major Blow With Multiple Coaches Joining Matt Campbell

The Iowa State Cyclones saw multiple coaches leave to join Matt Campbell

Dec 8, 2025; University Park, PA, USA; Matt Campbell answers questions from the media after being announced as the Penn State Nittany Lions new head coach during a press conference at the Beaver Stadium Press Room. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

With the dust continuing to settle from Matt Campbell’s departure from the Iowa State Cyclones, more coaches are starting to follow him to Penn State. 

After leaving the Cyclones, the program knew that their former head coach's leaving was going to have a negative impact on the program. Campbell was there for 10 years and really helped build up the team. Now, he will be trying to do the same with the Penn State Nittany Lions. 

The pressure is going to be on for him to have success right away with the Nittany Lions. This was a program that got rid of a very successful head coach, James Franklin, for his inability to win the big games for the program. 

That is something that Campbell is going to try to improve upon, but even with the resources available to him, it could take some time. As expected, some of his coaches from Iowa State came over with him fairly quickly, and now it appears like more are on the way. 

Taylor Mouser Joins Campbell

Matt Campbell cements former members of his Iowa State staff with him at Penn State: https://t.co/7cRJHs7IOv

— Alec Busse (@alec_busse) December 11, 2025

It shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to see Mouser leaving to join Campbell at Penn State. Generally speaking, coaches follow their head coach if he leaves unless they are promoted from within, which wasn’t the case for Mouser. 

With a good working relationship together, having that familiarity with his offensive coordinator is going to be helpful for the two to help get the Nittany Lions to where they want to be. Furthermore, while Mouser coming over is the big announcement, so is Ryan Clanton and Deon Broomfield joining the staff as well. 

For the Cyclones, the continued departures from their program are really starting to add up, and Jimmy Rogers is going to have his work cut out for him. With some talented players on the offensive side of the ball, the program is going to have to try hard to keep Rocco Becht, Benjamin Brahmer, and Carson Hansen with Iowa State. 

For those players, leaving and going to Penn State and staying in an offense they know and are comfortable with is going to be appealing. Becht is going to be a senior, which means that learning a new offense in the final year before he tries to make the jump to the NFL might not be ideal. While the addition of Mouser to the staff was to be expected, it still has a significant impact on the Cyclones and could lead to more departures from players.