Penn State football hiring Matt Campbell as its next head coach was the best thing it could've done at point in the long drawn out coaching search. Since his hiring, excitement's brewed in the air in Happy Valley with anticipation for what he can accomplish in a fresh era of Nittany Lion football.
Drawing attention from 5-star recruit is one thing, but Penn State must pull through
Recruitment is blooming under his watch in a short amount of time, his Transfer Portal activity was a huge hit, and he heads into 2026 with the nearly the easiest schedule possible to build a foundation on for the remainder of his tenure — however long that is.
National championship expectations are not set in stone for Penn State in 2026, though a College Football Playoff appearance would be very nice and is, at the moment, attainable given the schedule at hand. Campbell's results in 2026 matter, but it's more about what he gets done down the line that determines whether he was a successful coaching hire — or, rather, what he doesn't accomplish.
CBS Sports' Richard Johnson gives Penn State's Matt Campbell hire a B
Richard Johnson of CBS Sports graded all 33 FBS college football hires from 2025-26. For Penn State, he gave the Campbell hire a B.
"It seemed Campbell might have been stuck in Ames. Forays with the NFL and Florida State went nowhere. After a circuitous process, he ends up at Penn State, a place that seems amenable to his no-frills style and developmental success," Johnson wrote. "The question is whether he'll run into the same glass ceiling James Franklin did, potentially with less NFL-ready talent."
The purpose of firing Franklin was because he wasn't living up to expectations. He choked in big games and 2025 proved he can do the same in small ones too. Campbell has the time and resources to build a foundation for success, but results ultimately need to come to fruition.
Franklin got the Nittany Lions to the semifinal game, Campbell doesn't have a choice but to go the extra step further. Happy Valley wants a national championship.