Penn State football finally has its new leader in place.
Iowa State‘s Matt Campbell has reportedly agreed to terms to become only Penn State’s fifth head coach since 1950, ending a winding, if not tiring, 54-day search since James Franklin was fired.
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Campbell’s first tasks will be to quickly galvanize a decimated recruiting class and an uncertain roster that must prepare for a bowl game, with or without beloved interim head leader Terry Smith.
Campbell, 46, is known for building one of college football’s better résumés at one of its most difficult places to succeed. He won at least eight games five times since arriving at Iowa State — a program that, somehow, had managed that just one time before since 1978.
Campbell was making $5 million in guaranteed pay in 2025. Penn State presumably will cover the $2 million he owes Iowa State for breaking his contract early, according to the contract obtained by USA TODAY Sports.
Here are five things to know about the Nittany Lions‘ new head coach:
Oct 4, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Iowa State Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell reacts from the sideline against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the second half at Nippert Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
Penn State football: Matt Campbell was a national title winner
The Ohio native was an All-American defensive end (1999-2002) at in-state Mount Union, a Division III power.
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There, he won three national titles and four conference titles with a stunning 54-1 record.
He was inducted into the Mount Union Hall of Fame in 2018.
Matt Campbell, overachieving coaching success
His head coaching stats are impressive enough at two of the tougher places to win in the nation: Toledo and then Iowa State.
He owns a 107-70 overall record.
Even more telling: He suffered only one losing season after his first year at Iowa State (2016. He won 11 games last year for the first double-digit win season in school history.
Campbell was the Mid-America Conference Coach of the Year once at Toledo and earned Big 12 honors three times (2017, 2018, 2020).
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ESPN poll: Matt Campbell, 10th best coach
An ESPN poll from last spring ranked Campbell as the No. 10 head coach in college football.
Former Penn State coach James Franklin, now leading Virginia Tech, came in at No. 8. Georgia’s Kirby Smart was No. 1.
ESPN’s college football reporters voted to determine the list. ESPN writer David Hale said this about Campbell in the piece:
“There are plenty of coaches who get bonus points for doing more with less, but how many have done so much with so little so consistently as Campbell?” Hale wrote.
Matt Campbell, a perfect Penn State football fit?
At least one national college football analyst has been touting Campbell to Penn State for weeks:
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“Matt Campbell’s a stud as a head coach. I think he’s perfectly cut out for the Penn State job,” Josh Pate said in one of his recent podcasts. “The edge, the grit, the attention to detail. The different way you have to sell Penn State. Understanding of placing premium on eval and development. The magnetism that the guy’s programs have. How much discount players take to play for him, and staffers.
“Here’s what turns a lot of people off: Matt Campbell sucks at promoting Matt Campbell because he doesn’t really care to do it. If I changed nothing about that guy other than publicizing the head coaching jobs he has turned down, he would be viewed as a premium candidate …”
Matt Campbell routinely pursued by top college, NFL teams
Campbell has routinely been pursued, and has interviewed, for openings at more highly-regarded college programs and by NFL teams.
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He’s always stayed at Iowa State, where he was comfortable in mission and operation.
Some of those suitors over the years include USC and Notre Dame as well as the Chicago Bears, New York Jets and Cleveland Browns, according to USA Today’s Matt Hayes.
Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: New Penn State football head coach Matt Campbell, 5 things to know
