Matt Campbell has been named the 17th head coach in Penn State history, replacing James Frankln. (Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images)
The wait is finally over. After 54 days, Penn State Football has its new head coach. According to Pete Nakos, Matt Campbell is linked to be Penn State’s 17th head football coach.
This comes after a lengthy and very controversial search for a replacement for James Franklin. Alas, Pat Kraft seems to have found his guy.
The Wait is Over: Matt Campbell Ends Penn State’s 54-Day Crisis
Campbell hails from Massillon, Ohio originally. He played one year at Pitt before transferring to D3 Mount Union. As Campbell’s coaching career unfolded, he got his first head coaching gig with the Toledo Rockets from 2012-2015.
From 2016-2025, Campbell has been the Cyclones’ leader and has led them to success.
In his 10 years at Iowa State, Campbell was 72-55. He led the Cyclones to 8 winning seasons during his 10 seasons in Ames and went. The crown of those 10 years would be their historic run in 2020 that ended in a Fiesta Bowl win.
Doubling History: AP Poll Finishes and the Double-Digit Win Season
Iowa State had seen pretty bad football for plenty of years. Campbell gave the Cyclones their first-ever double-digit win season in 2024.
Prior to Campbell’s time in Ames, Iowa State had only finished inside of the AP poll twice. Keep in mind, that is over a period of 128 years. During Matt Campbell’s tenure, he led the Cyclones to 2 AP poll finishes, doubling the Iowa State mark.
A New Era: What Campbell Means for Penn State Football
Campbell is widely regarded as a very successful coach.
He has won a lot of games for a program that hasn’t won much historically. It remains to be seen if he can take Penn State Football where it wants to go, but Matt Campbell will give it a shot.
Penn State Football has begun a new era, the Matt Campbell era.
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Ian Purdy covers Penn State Football Recruiting for NittanyCentral.
Purdy was born and raised in central Ohio and served for four years writing for his high school's newsletter. Currently studying Biblical Studies at Lancaster Bible College in Pennsylvania, Ian has been a lifelong Nittany Lion fan.
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- Matt Campbell to be Hired: Penn State Ends 54-Day Search, Lands College Football’s Top Program-Builder - December 5, 2025
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