Matt Campbell's proven track record faces a new challenge. Can he conquer higher stakes and lead Penn State to national championship contention?
Matt Campbell inherited a bottom-dwelling Big 12 program and turned Iowa State into a bowl team in his second season in Ames, Iowa.
Campbell took ISU to seven bowls. He finished 72-55 overall and 50-40 in Big 12 play during his time with the Cyclones.
Because of his success raising Iowa State into a respectable Big 12 program, Campbell had been linked to many high-profile jobs in recent seasons. But the head coach decided to focus on ISU instead of jumping for Big Ten or SEC jobs.
Penn State was able to land Campbell in part because their national coaching search came so late in the hiring cycle. The hope is that he can elevate PSU into a College Football Playoff national championship contender.
Steven Lasson of Athlon Sports gave Penn State a grade of "A" for hiring Campbell this offseason. However, he warned that Campbell will have bigger expectations at Penn State than he had at ISU.
"After a lengthy search, Penn State finally landed on Campbell to replace James Franklin," Lasson wrote. "The Ohio native thrived at one of the toughest power conference jobs in the nation by recording a 72-55 mark and eight bowl trips at Iowa State.
"The Cyclones’ 11-3 record was the best single season in program history, while a No. 9 ranking in ‘20 also marked the team’s first top-10 finish. Campbell knows how to get the most out of a roster but expectations in Happy Valley will be higher than they were in Ames."
There are some concerns about the hire. Penn State fired James Franklin because he couldn't win the big game, especially in key playoff games and against top-10 teams.
Since becoming a full-time head coach at Toledo before the 2012 season, Campbell has never finished a season with fewer than two losses. He finished with three losses twice at Iowa State (2020, 2024), his best years with the program.
In 2024, Campbell's Cyclones were blown out 45-19 by Arizona State in the Big 12 championship, allowing the Sun Devils to reach the College Football Playoff.
Campbell will have to do something with Penn State that he never did with ISU.