RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesMatt Campbell has a chance to become an even bigger name in college football circles after his arrival at Penn State. He was already one of the more respected head coaches in the nation thanks to his performance in his 10 seasons with Iowa State .
Campbell became the winningest coach in Cyclones history and has the best winning percentage in the school’s modern history. Now, he’ll be facing a much tougher challenge with the Nittany Lions , prompting people at the Big Ten’s media day to question what was the motivation to leave Iowa State .
Campbell was asked about why he left for Penn State when he wouldn’t even leave for the Detroit Lions ’ head coaching gig back in 2021. “If I were ever going to leave Iowa State, it was going to have to be a school and an institution that really fit how I believe and what I believe,” said Campbell.
He clearly believes the Nittany Lions align with those ideals, telling reporters, “What Penn State football has stood for really resonated with myself… it really had to be a perfect fit.”
Matt Campbell was asked today at Big Ten Media Days why the Penn State job was right for him to leave Iowa State compared to the Detroit Lions job he passed on in 2021. Campbell's full response below: pic.twitter.com/jW7j1GWkyy
— Alec Busse (@alec_busse) July 28, 2026 Whatever fans may feel about former coach James Franklin — they can’t say that he wasn’t a man of high character who transformed the culture at Penn State during one of the most turbulent periods in school history. Now, they hold the reputation of being a stable program again with a strong culture that Campbell is looking to build and expand on.
He spent a decade molding the Cyclones into one of the best teams in the Big 12, and that experience prepared him for his new adventure at Penn State. If the two schools are really this similar in terms of morals, culture, and organizational structure, then there’s no reason why Campbell shouldn’t be able to replicate that success here.
Make no mistake about it, he’ll be in for one of the toughest challenges of his coaching career. But he’s proven throughout his career that he’s an excellent football mind, and an even better person, so he should be more than up to the task of rebuilding this Nittany Lions team that fell so painfully short last season.
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Matt Campbell offers detailed reasoning for Iowa State exit
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