Iowa State defensive coordinator John Heacock could be a top candidate to follow Penn State head coach Matt Campbell to Happy Valley as the Nittany Lions' next defensive coordinator. (Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images)
Matt Campbell is in town, and things are moving quickly. So far, Penn State Football has seen Ty Howle and Danny O’Brien follow James Franklin to Virginia Tech.
Wednesday, it was reported that Defensive Coordinator Jim Knowles will be taking the job at Tennessee.
Knowles led a middle-of-the-road defense in 2025.
The Nittany Lions‘ defense ranked as the 43rd-best defense in the nation in terms of points allowed. They gave up 22.8 points a game on average, a sharp decline from last year’s 16.5 points per game.
With Campbell in and Knowles out, Penn State will need someone new to lead the defense.
Matt Campbell’s Top Candidates as Penn State’s Next Defensive Coordinator
The Overwhelming Frontrunner: Jon Heacock’s Championship Pedigree
There has been some ambiguity between Matt Campbell and Jon Heacock.
It was reported that Campbell was working to bring Heacock over, but there hasn’t been much since.
Heacock would make a lot of sense.
He runs a 3-3-5 defense and has mastered that. However, if he were to come over to Happy Valley, in all likelihood, that he would change to run a four down-lineman defense.
Heacock has been with Matt Campbell since 2014 when both were at Toledo.
Additionally, Heacock brings some previous Big Ten coaching experience. He served as Purdue’s defensive backs coach in 2013. He has a very decorated career as a defensive coordinator. He’s been nominated 3 times for the Broyles Award and was a finalist in 2017.
During his 10 years at Iowa State Iowa State ranked second (20.9- 2017), first (22.9- 2018), third (25.9- 2019), second (21.4- 2020), third (20.5, 2021), first (20.2, 2022) and third (22.8, 2023) in the Big 12 in scoring defense. His most recent defense in 2025 held opponents to 21.4 points per game, which is top 30 in the country.
This is Heacock’s job to lose.
Other Possibilities: Campbell’s Internal & External Options
Internal Candidate: Penn State Legend Dan Connor
While Heacock seems like the leader in the clubhouse for the job, other names are also worth mentioning.
Current Linebacker coach Dan Connor could be a fit. According to sources, Connor played a massive role in Penn State’s stout 2024 defense.
His Linebacker room has performed pretty well over his 2 years in charge of the room.
Connor is also a Penn State legend.
As a player in the Blue and White, Connor is the all time leading tackler in Penn State history. He was a two-time All-American and took home the Chuck Bednarik award in 2007.
If Heacock doesn’t work out, Campbell could pivot to Connor. It will depend on how well the two jive from the beginning, but Campbell would have to look at Connor should Heacock turn him down.
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Familiar Face: Tyson Veidt’s History with Campbell
Tyson Veidt would be a very interesting name to watch for the Nittany Lion job opening.
Veidt is now in his second year at Cincinnati. He hasn’t had a ton of success as the Bearcats coordinator, but it’s very hard to judge the legitimacy of his tenure only 2 years in.
Veidt coached for Campbell from 2014-2023.
During his time at Iowa State he was the Linebacker coach and associate head coach. The connection to Campbell is simple and calling Penn State’s defense would certainly be an upgrade from the Bearcats.
The Outside Option: Alabama’s Maurice Linguist
Linguist is a very well traveled coach who has several high profile positions.
None less than being the co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Alabama.
As someone who worked his way up the coaching ladder to get to Buffalo, only to go back down the ladder, Linguist could look to Penn State to climb back up the ranks.
Campbell has very loose connections to Linguist. Linguist was on Iowa State’s staff in 2014 and 2015. This means that Linguist and Campbell probably have some level of connection.
The Experienced Hand: Penn State’s Anthony Poindexter
On top of Connor, Anthony Poindexter is another possibility, should Heacock not work out.
Poindexter has been at Penn State since 2021. He’s seen 4 Safeties make it to the NFL during his time at Penn State.
Poindexter also seems to have a very good reputation as a defensive mind and a jump to coordinator would make sense for him.
Anthony Poindexter would be another coach whom Campbell could sit down and seriously consider as defensive coordinator. Again, this would only happen if Heacock doesn’t work out.
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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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