Penn State is expected to hire Matt Campbell as its next college football coach. Iowa State players reportedly found out about the move from social media.
They did not learn the news from the university or from the head coach himself.
These kind of things are not uncommon in college football. Coaching searches always move extremely fast but this one really came out of nowhere.
Penn State is (probably) going to hire Matt Campbell.
Although the Nittany Lions have not made an official announcement about their next head coach, they are expected to do so in the coming days— if not hours. It has been known that they were talking with Campbell for approximately 48 hours after they missed out on Kalani Sitake but talks are just talks.
And then news broke on early Friday morning that “Penn State is finalizing an offer for its head coaching vacancy for Iowa State coach Matt Campbell as athletic director Pat Kraft tries to bring the search for James Franklin’s replacement to a conclusion.” That specific phrasing typically means it is a done deal.
Campbell can still change his mind and stay put. Penn State might get cold feet at the last possible second. Stranger things have happened. The ink must hit the paper for a contract to be made official.
However, this seems to be what is going to happen. We are trending toward a future where Matt Campbell is the next head football coach in Happy Valley.
Iowa State players were completely blindsided.
According to Shannon Ehrhardt of KCCI News (the most-watched news station in Central Iowa), the players in Ames did not know their head coach is likely going to leave them. The team reportedly “just found out from social media” that Campbell is close to an agreement with Penn State.
“They’re sitting around the locker room in total shock and disbelief,” she said.
If this is true, and the players found out about their head coach’s expected departure from social media, it creates an awkward dynamic. Nothing is final so it begs the question of what more he could say.
I guess Campbell could address his team and say “I’m talking to Penn State,” but that does not change the situation. He probably thought it would be better to break the news when it was official. Social media beat him to it. His players never saw it coming.
Matt Campbell’s name has been attached to a number of open jobs in the past decade or so, including the New York Jets. This cycle was different. His name was not mentioned as a serious candidate and his players presumably expected him to be with them for the postseason and in 2026.
And then Penn State swung and missed on multiple top candidates. The Nittany Lions basically fell backward into Campbell, which might actually end up being the best hire of them all.
It happened fast. The Cyclones were blindsided.
Iowa State is going to play in a bowl game later this month. Either in the Texas Bowl or the Liberty Bowl. Matt Campbell may not be in charge of the Cyclones at that point. His players are devestated.