(File Photo: Source for Photo: Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell looks to the scoreboard during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Kansas, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. Iowa State won 38-14. (AP Photo/Matthew Putney)
(AP) Matt Campbell was hired as Penn State’s coach on Friday night, ending a two-month search by the Nittany Lions to find James Franklin’s successor.
The 46-year-old Campbell heads to Happy Valley after going 72-55 in 10 seasons at Iowa State to become the winningest coach in the history of that program.
Terms of Campbell’s contract were not released, pending approval by a committee of the school’s Board of Trustees. That committee is scheduled to meet on Monday, after which Campbell will be introduced.
“Coach Campbell is, without a doubt, the right leader at the right time for Penn State football,” athletic director Pat Kraft said in a statement. “He is a stellar coach with a proven track record of success and his values, character and approach to leading student-athletes to success on and off the field align perfectly with the traditions and values of Penn State.”
Penn State advanced to the College Football Playoff semifinals last season and began this season ranked No. 2 in the AP poll, but Franklin was fired on Oct. 12 after the Nittany Lions started 0-3 in Big Ten play.
Before Campbell’s arrival at Iowa State in 2016, the Cyclones had a record of 489-622-45 with just three bowl wins in their 133-year history. His 10-year tenure in Ames included eight winning seasons, three bowl wins and the program’s only 11-win campaign last year, when Iowa State reached the Big 12 championship game.
Iowa State went 8-4 this season and awaits a bowl bid. Washington State coach Jimmy Rogers was named as Campbell’s replacement on Friday.
Campbell spent five years as Toledo’s coach before joining the Cyclones and is 107-70 overall. He signed a contract extension at Iowa State in August worth $5 million per year until 2032, with a buyout of $2 million.
An Ohio native, Campbell becomes Penn State’s 17th full-time coach. He takes over a program that missed big during the early signing period that began on Wednesday.
Penn State, the second Power Four program to fire its coach this season, signed only two players toward its 2026 recruiting class this week. The Nittany Lions have no commitments in the 2027 class.
Many of those who had previously committed to Penn State flipped to Virginia Tech, where Franklin was hired last month. In addition to last year’s CFP run, Franklin won a Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl during his 11-plus seasons in Happy Valley.
Franklin, however, struggled to win big games, going 4-21 against teams ranked in the top 10.
Now, current Nittany Lions players will have to decide whether to stick around and play for Campbell, who’s done a lot with a little in Ames while reportedly passing on other job offers, including overtures from the NFL.
Numerous names were linked to the Penn State opening, and some potential candidates signed extensions at their current schools, including BYU’s Kalani Sitake.
Penn State went 3-3 this season under interim coach Terry Smith, winning its final three games to finish 6-6 and become bowl eligible.
As Kraft conducted his search without the aid of a search committee, a large contingent of players campaigned for the blunt-talking Smith to be named the permanent coach.
After the Nittany Lions’ win over Nebraska on Nov. 22, players held up “HIRE TERRY SMITH!” signs on the sidelines. A handful flashed the signs to Kraft, who walked off the field with an arm around Smith, a Penn State alum who played for Joe Paterno and is a veteran of Franklin’s staff.
Campbell already has one staff member in place. Kraft confirmed on Friday that Smith is sticking with the program.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude to coach Terry Smith for stepping up when we needed him the most and for rallying our team to finish this season with three straight wins,” Kraft said. “Coach Smith bleeds blue and white and pours his entire heart and soul into Penn State football. I’m deeply grateful for his commitment to our university, and I am excited that he will continue to be a part of this program.”
A fan base and athletic department accustomed to seeing the same coach roaming the Penn State sideline for 46 years as Paterno did has never gone this long without a gridiron leader.
The search to find Paterno’s permanent successor during the most tumultuous season in program history took 40 days in 2011. Paterno was fired on Nov. 9 of that year, shortly after the arrest of his longtime assistant Jerry Sandusky on child sexual abuse charges. Then-acting athletic director Dave Joyner announced a six-person search committee on Nov. 28, and the program introduced Bill O’Brien on Jan. 7.
Two years later, O’Brien informed Penn State that he was taking the Houston Texans job, and Penn State introduced Franklin nine days later.
