Big 12 powerhouse trending to lose longtime head football coach

A general view of the Big 12 logo on the down marker | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

The Big 12 conference could lose one of its top college football coaches. As Penn State's open position keeps a sharp eye on several of the Big 12's best leaders, worry has grown that the league will take a major hit once the Nittany Lions' search is all said and done.

That's because BYU barely survived the Happy Valley predators, who stalked Cougars' head coach Kalani Sitake in the last week before BYU boosters stepped up and Sitake ultimately decided to buckle down in Provo with a new, likely huge, contract extension. But now there's another Big 12 coach drawing the eye of Penn State.

Iowa State better lock their doors at night because the smoke is seriously starting to rise between Cyclones' head coach Matt Campbell and the open Penn State job. Kalshi's predictive trading market lists Campbell as the odds-on favorite as of noon ET on Friday, with a 70% chance to take the PSU gig. Reports from reputable sources around college football have also emphasized Penn State's new focus on the Iowa State coach.

On3 reported Thursday evening that Campbell had taken center stage in the Penn State hunt, and CBS Sports also confirmed that the Nittany Lions are targeting Campbell. The question now becomes whether he'll follow the path of Sitake, Matt Rhule, Curt Cignetti and others and negotiate his own pay raise at Iowa State or finally be the one to say yes to the Penn State job.

Matt Campbell has a proven track record

Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Though PSU is much deeper into their pool of candidates than they likely expected when firing Franklin, Campbell is still a stellar option. Let's start with the simple fact that he's a three-time Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2017, 2018 and 2020. That's three of the award in four straight seasons, folks. Including 2025, he's now won eight or more games in five of his 10 seasons in Ames.

Under Matt Campbell's direction, Iowa State's best season occurred in 2024, when Rocco Becht and a pair of future NFL Draft picks at wide receiver put together a thrilling offense. Paired with a typically sound defense under Campbell, ISU stayed in the Big 12 title hunt until the bitter end and fell to Arizona State, who earned the league's College Football Playoff bid.

If excellent defense, quarterback development and a tough-as-crap mentality in a cold weather town are necessaities for the next Penn State head coach, then Matt Campbell is a perfect fit up North. We'll just have to see if he bites on the offer, assuming it comes.