Penn State footballis bouncing from coach to coach seeing which one will stick. As targets emerge and a spotlight shines on them, contracts get signed or announcements are made that they're not going over to the Nittany Lions. After BYU head coach Kalani Sitake fell victim to that pattern to the misfortune of the blue and white, Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell made his way to the front of the conversation.
According to 247Sports' Tyler Donohue, there's increased confidence that Campbell is the guy for Penn State. While this doesn't mean Campbell is a lock to take the job in Happy Valley, it's one of the better options left for the Nittany Lions.
Recent hours revealed increased confidence from a variety of conversations at Penn State, Iowa State and nationally, that momentum is building between PSU and Matt Campbell.
— Tyler Donohue (@TDsTake) December 4, 2025
Anticipated roster resources are an enticing piece. Campbell long considered a "do-more-with-less" coach. https://t.co/BEz5FilWzZ pic.twitter.com/IrQppbw8I5
Matt Campbell emerges as top target for Penn State
Campbell has been the head coach at Iowa State since 2016, slowly finding consistency in finishing with winning records. In 2024, the Cyclones had an 11-3 overall record, and they finished 8-4 on the 2025 regular season. His all-time record at Iowa State is 72-55, and his career all-time record as a head coach is 107-70 (including his time at Toledo).
Penn State missed out on 11 potential targets, including Alabama's Kalen DeBoer who shutdown rumors of his interest in the job. The other 10 candidates are:
- Indiana HC Curt Cignetti (extension)
- Nebraska HC Matt Rhule (extension)
- Texas A&M HC Mike Elko (extension)
- Missouri HC Eli Drinkwitz (extension)
- BYU HC Kalani Sitake (extension)
- Georgia Tech HC Brent Key (extension)
- JMU HC Bob Chesney (to UCLA)
- Oregon OC Will Stein (to Kentucky)
- Ohio State OC Brian Hartline (to South Florida)
While a number of these coaches were ranked above Campbell before they were removed from conversation, the Cyclones head coach wasn't a terrible pick in consideration when incoming Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin was fired.
He was a top five candidate for a long time, but there didn't seem like much momentum was there for Campbell to head to Penn State. There wasn't a valid reason to leave Iowa State, and there wasn't a reason for the Nittany Lions to tunnel vision on targeting Campbell at the time either.
Now, Campbell's one of the only ones left, and if Penn State intends on hiring a head coach in this carousel, he might be the only decent choice remaining.
According to Donohue, a reason emerged for Campbell to consider the job. If he's a "do more with less" coach, as Donohue described, well the Nittany Lions have as little as possible for him to work with.
Penn State has the 134th ranked Class of 2026 with two signees in the Early Signing Period: edge rusher Jackson Ford and quarterback Peyton Falzone. The Nittany Lions also risk losing a number of eligible returning players if interim head coach Terry Smith isn't hired. So, Campbell has a near clean slate to work with.
With the very recent history of Penn State reportedly having a target who then quickly denies interest in the school one way or another, the idea of Campbell coming to Happy Valley can fizzle out very soon. However, he wouldn't be the worst option if his name stays afloat for longer.