With the rush on head coaching hires hitting full speed after Lane Kiffin took the job at LSU on Nov. 30, many thought Penn State would've found its ideal candidate in the mix. That wasn't the case and the Nittany Lions remain coach-less after firing James Franklin back in October.
However, the latest reports indicate those conducting the search in State College have their attention turned to the Midwest for an unexpected last minute splash. ESPN's Pete Thamel and Adam Rittenberg say Penn State is in talks with Iowa State's Matt Campbell for the open job and there's mutual interest.
Campbell just completed his 10th season in Ames, the eighth with a winning record and his fifth with at least eight wins. He took the Cyclones to the Big 12 Championship Game last season and was one victory away from the program's first ever College Football Playoff appearance. If there's any high-profile candidate that's a proven commodity and still on the rise, it would be Campbell.
How Penn State's potential hire of Matt Campbell stacks up to other 2025 coaching additions
We already know Kiffin was the top candidate in this year's coaching pool and his anticipated debut for LSU will be the highest rated entering next season. Behind him would be Franklin who landed at Virginia Tech and has already turned the Hokies' roster into a Top 25-caliber threat.
After that, it's really anyone's guess as to how the other hires stack up against one another. There were six Group of Five coaches picked to lead Power Four programs, all of which should revitalize their respective teams but are unproven at this high a level.
If officially brought in to take over at Penn State, Campbell would easily slot in ahead of that group which includes Eric Morris (Oklahoma State), Jim Mora (Colorado State), Ryan Silverfield (Arkansas), Alex Golesh (Auburn), Jon Sumrall (Florida) and Bob Chesney (UCLA).
You could make the argument that Pat Fitzgerald at Michigan State could be equivalent to Campbell but when you factor in the fact he's been out of the game since being fired from Northwestern in 2023, Campbell has the edge. Though that's not to say Fitzgerald won't reinvigorate a Spartan program that's been stagnant for the last four seasons.
Campbell has a significant recruiting network he can bring with him to central Pennsylvania, one that has successfully penetrated some of the Midwest's richest talent pools as well as Texas and Oklahoma. That puts him miles ahead of any other "available" candidate or recent hire.
Campbell would be a surprise get this late in the cycle but it would be a massive win for the Nittany Lions after it appeared they might have to settle for a slow rebuild.