Few people know new Penn State head coach Matt Campbell better than his former players, and one of the biggest stars from Campbell’s final years at Iowa State has high expectations for his former coach in Happy Valley.
Nose tackle Domonique Orange, a key piece of Iowa State's defense over the past three seasons, spoke to the media at the NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday and was asked about Campbell. Orange was blunt about his expectations for Campbell in Happy Valley.
“He'd better win a championship (at Penn State). Ain’t no choice. He’s got all the resources now.” Orange told the assembled media, including PennLive’s Johnny McGonigal. “It ain’t Ames, Iowa. He'd better win. I’m rooting for him, too.”
Iowa State’s Dom Orange = big Matt Campbell guy
— Johnny McGonigal (@jmcgonigal9) February 26, 2026
“He better win a championship (at Penn State). Ain’t no choice. He’s got all the resources now. It ain’t Ames, Iowa. He better win. I’m rooting for him, too.”
Much more on Campbell from the Cyclones star: https://t.co/d5Z7b1ptY6 pic.twitter.com/QzOu1pev9p
Domonique Orange is expecting a championship from Matt Campbell at Penn State
Orange seems to have read the minds of Penn State fans. For his entire head coaching career, which began at Toledo in 2011, Campbell has done more with less, leading downtrodden programs to new levels of success. That’s what drew Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft to him after an extensive coaching search.
Now that he has all the resources at his disposal, the expectation is that Campbell will break through the glass ceiling that hung over Iowa State during his 10-year tenure. From Orange’s perspective, it should be that simple, and though it almost sounds like a dig at his former head coach for leaving Iowa State, Orange was nothing but supportive of Campbell, calling him “the best coach in college football.”
He’ll need to be to overtake Michigan, Ohio State, and Indiana, the three most recent national champions, along with Dan Lanning’s deep-pocketed Oregon Ducks. Fans won’t be satisfied with anything less than a Big Ten title, and are rightfully hoping for the program’s fifth national championship and third in the last 100 years.
However, the reality is that, while Campbell has more resources at his disposal in the Big Ten, he will also face stiffer competition in conference play than he did in the Big 12. That’s part of the reason his first season at the helm is so pressure-packed. The Nittany Lions have a favorable slate in the Big Ten play, avoiding Ohio State, Indiana, and Oregon.