This is a turn that not a lot of Penn State fans expected, but goodness, it's a welcome one. On Thursday night, news broke via Chris Low, Pete Nakos and Brett McMurphy that Penn State has been in contact with Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell. What?
Penn State reportedly targeting Big 12 head coach hire as rumors fly
Yup, the Nittany Lions are ready to go swinging once again, but the hope is that this time hearts won't be broken. From our chair, there are only three names left worth considering for the job after Kalani Sitake decided to stay at BYU. In this piece, we have our updated power rankings on how Pat Kraft and Co. should prioritize things:
3. Former NY Giants head coach Brian Daboll
This is one that has never made a ton of sense to us. Brian Daboll was known as an offensive genius while he was with the Buffalo Bills, doing wonders to help Josh Allen become the elite quarterback that he is today. However, his time with the Giants was terrible, leading to his firing earlier this season.
Is Daboll going to have what it takes to recruit at a high level? Yeah, he seems personable, but ask Wink Martindale what it was like to work with him. While he's a big-name guy, we just don't think he'd make a ton of sense to help turnaround a struggling Big Ten program.
2. Interim Penn State head coach Terry Smith
Say what you want about Terry Smith, but he has the full backing of the Penn State locker room. From the moment James Franklin was fired, players have been essentially pleading with Kraft to give him the job. He knows the ins and outs of the program.
Per Jordan Schultz, Memphis and UConn are ready to make a move to land him if Penn State doesn't make him happy. Losing Smith would be terrible, but this could be a case of Kraft getting ready to put all of his chips into the table for his final top target.
1. Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell
After all the headaches Penn State fans have gone through, landing Campbell this late in the process would feel like a dream come true. Campbell is a proven winner and he's been able to do some great things while leading Iowa State.
Campbell took over for the Cyclones in 2016, posting a 107-70 record while on campus. Could you imagine what he'd be able to get done with the Nittany Lions with Penn State's resources and NIL budget? If Kraft can somehow land Campbell, it will be a MASSIVE get for him and the university as a whole.