High School

Matt Campbell Adds Former Iowa High School Football Standout To Coaching Staff

Jake Waters follows head coach from Iowa State to Penn State

Dana Becker

Nov 1, 2014; Manhattan, KS, USA; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Jake Waters (15) finds room to run during a 48-14 win against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images
Nov 1, 2014; Manhattan, KS, USA; Kansas State Wildcats quarterback Jake Waters (15) finds room to run during a 48-14 win against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-Imagn Images / Scott Sewell-Imagn Images

A former Iowa high school football standout is the latest to join Matt Campbell’s coaching staff at Penn State University.

Jake Waters, a graduate of Council Bluffs St. Albert High School, is the new quarterback coach for the Nittany Lions. He served in that same role for the past two years with Campbell and the Cyclones, having spent three seasons as an offensive quality control analyst.

Waters replaces Danny O’Brien, who joined former Penn State head coach James Franklin at Virginia Tech.

Jake Waters Led Council Bluffs St. Albert To State Football Glory

The 33-year-old Waters was a three-star prospect out of high school, opting to play at Iowa Western and follow the junior college road. He set a NJCAA national record for completion percentage, leading the Reivers to a national championship while being named an All-American.

From there, Waters signed with Kansas State where he was a second team all-Big 12 selection in 2014. He threw for over 3,500 yards his senior season with 22 touchdowns in the air and nine on the ground after becoming the starter as a junior.

Waters was signed by the Seattle Seahawks in 2015 and signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL. 

Former Iowa High School Standout Helped Iowa State's Rocco Becht Shine

Following the end of his playing career, Waters entered the coaching ranks, becoming a volunteer with Iowa Western for two seasons. He was went to Iowa State as a graduate assistant in 2017 before becoming the wide receivers coach at UTEP from 2018-2020.

Waters came back to Ames and the Iowa State program in 2021 where he remained with Campbell.

Along with receiving commitments from several former Iowa State prospects in the Class of 2026, Campbell has brought Taylor Mouser, Ryan Clanton and a handful of other coaches with him to Penn State.

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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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