With the college football head coach carousel beginning to die down, the Penn State Nittany Lions and athletic director Pat Kraft are among the few schools that have yet to find their next coach for the 2026 season.

After a devastating 3-3 start to the season, Kraft and the rest of the athletic department decided to fire head coach James Franklin, giving the Nittany Lions a huge head start on their search for a coach. However, this was not the case, as the program failed to land a coach despite the extra time.

Luckily, there is hope for the struggling fanbase.

According to On3 Sports, Penn State has begun to shift its focus on Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell in the program’s search to replace Franklin.

Campbell, who has spent the past 10 seasons with the Cyclones, has done a terrific job of revamping Iowa State’s football program. During his time in Ames, IA, the 46-year-old coach has compiled a 72-55 record, along with eight seasons with a .500 or better record.

In 2020, Campbell and the Cyclones finished as the No. 1 team in the Big 12 Conference. This would be outdone by the program’s efforts last season, as Campbell was one win away from making the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff format. Instead, Iowa State was able to pull off a thrilling victory over the Miami Hurricanes in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, 42-41.

If Kraft ultimately lands the underrated head coach, Campbell would be able to help the team’s horrific 2026 recruiting class, which features two signees in four-star EDGE Jackson Ford and four-star quarterback Peyton Falzone.

The Cyclones’ 2026 class features 22 signees, with four-star wide receiver Jeffery Roberts leading the pack.

Outside of Campbell, the Nittany Lions’ options for a new head coach are slim. Earlier this week, Penn State made a push for BYU’s Kalani Sitake, but fell short of the mark.

This leaves interim head coach Terry Smith as the other prime candidate to take over, who is widely considered a fan-favorite choice for the position. Smith played a key role in the signing of Falzone, giving him another edge over the rest of the coaching field.