High School

Caleb Bacon, Kooper Ebel Following Matt Campbell To Penn State

Pair of former Iowa high school football standouts, Cyclones, commit to Happy Valley

Dana Becker

Nov 8, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Iowa State Cyclones linebacker Kooper Ebel (47) and linebacker Caleb Bacon (26) celebrates a defensive stop against the TCU Horned Frogs during the first half at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Nov 8, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Iowa State Cyclones linebacker Kooper Ebel (47) and linebacker Caleb Bacon (26) celebrates a defensive stop against the TCU Horned Frogs during the first half at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Two more former Iowa high school football standouts who found roles at Iowa State under Matt Campbell have agreed to follow the head coach to Penn State.

Caleb Bacon and Kooper Ebel confirmed they have committed to join Campbell in Happy Valley after entering the transfer portal from Iowa State.

Caleb Bacon A Tackling Machine At All Levels

Bacon, a Lake Mills High School standout, was the leading tackler in Class A of Iowa high school football as a senior with 103 stops, 90 of which were solo tackles. A walk-on linebacker, he had 68 tackles with 9.5 for loss this past fall for the Cyclones.

After playing in 13 games in 2023 as a walk-on, Bacon earned a scholarship from Campbell. He had 60 tackles that season, which placed him second on the team. After taking a redshirt in 2021, he played in 10 games in 2022.

Kooper Ebel Had Over 3,000 Yards On Offense In High School

Ebel, a graduate of Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School, will have one season of eligibility remaining at Penn State. The 6-foot-4 linebacker was a three-star prospect out of high school, earning multiple all-state honors.

Along with being a dominant player on defense, Ebel was a key offensive contributor for Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn, throwing for 824 yards and rushing for 2,511 as a senior with 38 touchdowns. He had 78 tackles with four for loss and a sack on defense.

Ebel received offers from Iowa, Vanderbilt and Nebraska to go along with Iowa State. He played in eight games for the Cyclones in 2023 and 14 in 2024, finishing as the third leading tackler with 69 stops to go along with six for loss and a sack.

Penn State, Matt Campbell Reload With Former Cyclones, Iowa High School Standouts

Campbell knows what he will be getting in Ebel, as he had 77 tackles with eight for loss and a sack this past season as a junior. He recorded 11 tackles and a forced fumble in a win over TCU and had a sack vs. Kansas State in Ireland, which was also a win for the Cyclones.

Bacon and Ebel join former Iowa State teammates Alex Manske and Will Tompkins in joining Campbell at Penn State. Manske, a quarterback, and Tompkins, an offensive lineman, previously made their announcements.

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Dana Becker
DANA BECKER

Dana Becker has been a sports writer in Iowa since 2000, writing for The Fort Dodge Messenger, Mason City Globe-Gazette, Cedar Rapids Gazette and others. Dana resides in northcentral Iowa and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in 2022 focused on the state of Iowa. Along with providing coverage of football and wrestling, Dana also spotlights cross country, swimming, basketball, track and field, soccer, tennis, golf, baseball and softball. He began writing for High School on SI in 2023.

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