Former Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell is heading over to Penn State football, replacing incoming Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin as the program's next leader. Upon the news of Campbell coming to Happy Valley, a significant part of his deal sets him apart from Franklin regardless of their similarities as coaches on paper.
Penn State reportedly hires Matt Campbell to new multi-year deal that's hard to believe
Following the announcement of the contract nearly being finished, The Inside Zone's Matt Fortuna reported that the Nittany Lions are committed about $30 million in NIL money for Campbell.
SOURCES: Penn State is committing roughly $30 million in NIL money and $17 million in staff pool (assistant coaches, support staff, etc.) to Matt Campbell. pic.twitter.com/CSw9JDIzD1
— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) December 6, 2025
When athletic director Pat Kraft made a statement on the hiring, he said he wants Penn State's next head coach "to maximize elite-level resources," and the $30 million in NIL is obviously a huge part of that.
Matt Campbell has NIL money and booster support James Franklin could never at Penn State
Franklin's failure to meet expectations in 2025 only made frustrations towards his leadership that much more intense.
If the Nittany Lions opted to keep Franklin through the season and beyond, boosters would never give him the kind of money Campbell has to work with in NIL. They knew what Franklin's ceiling was, knew he failed to perform under pressure, and knew his top tier roster that he wasted couldn't return for 2026.
Hiring Campbell, on the other hand, signifies a new era. No matter if Franklin and Campbell are comparable, boosters have yet to seen what the new head coach can accomplish at Penn State. If he can wisely use the resources provided to him, he can prove he's worth that support. Franklin already proved he wasn't
Campbell also already has a solid track record of developing players. Franklin, on the other hand, showed he can and will waste player potential.
Quarterback Drew Allar showed no growth from junior to senior year, and his value as a five-star recruit dropped down season-by-season. Franklin couldn't develop Allar into the saving grace the Nittany Lions expected, though Allar had the tools to be better than he was. In 2025, specifically, Franklin tried to make his team into something it wasn't. Rather than further develop running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, he pushed Allar into being a quarterback he's not while forcing the rushers into the shadows. Unsurprisingly, that blew up in Franklin's face.
Campbell, though, proved he can keep players on a consistently progressive track throughout their collegiate careers, specifically with running backs and wide receivers. On top of that, he didn't need a surplus of resources to do that at Iowa State. Campbell with less is comparable to Franklin with more. Boosters weren't going to give Franklin anything significant, especially after 2025, and it's not surprising to see them support Campbell and put him on a path to success.