12/05/25 09:31:00
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12/05 21:30 CST Matt Campbell hired as Penn State's coach, ending search for
James Franklin's successor
Matt Campbell hired as Penn State's coach, ending search for James Franklin's
successor
By TRAVIS JOHNSON
Associated Press
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.
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