FootballScoop reported this Thursday night, and the same outlet reported the previous afternoon that PSU’s leadership was getting involved in the search.
Report: University Leadership Getting Involved in Penn State Coaching Search
“Sources from agents to sitting NCAA Division I head coaches to people with intricate knowledge of Pat Kraft’s protracted Penn State search said that Thursday evening Penn State leadership was working to try to hammer out a deal with Campbell in a series of talks that included, sources told FootballScoop, a meeting between Campbell and Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi was to be conducted Thursday evening. It wasn’t specified if that meeting was face-to-face or via Zoom.”
FootballScoop also reported that this is because leadership had grown frustrated with how the search— which is in Day 53– was going. To be clear, Bendapudi and company being involved doesn’t mean that AD Pat Kraft ceased to be involved.
In fact. Nate Bauer of Blue-White Illustrated reported Wednesday that Kraft spoke with Campbell earlier that day.
So, yes, he’s still very much invoked with the search.
But Penn State just might have landed a gem at the last minute.
AT THE GOALLINE?
As Yogi Berra once said, “it ain’t over ‘till it’s over,” but as of this writing, it seems that Penn State has a good chance of landing Campbell.
Tyler Donahue of Lions247 reported night that Penn State “appeared to be working toward a hire” with Campbell.
Not long after, On3Sports confirmed that Campbell had become focus of the Penn State coaching search, and multiple other national outlets have since followed suit.
WHAT CAMPBELL WOULD BRING
Campbell just turned 46 and was 45 when he got his 100th win. A lot of people are still looking for their first head coaching job at that age, so that’s quite impressive on Campbell’s end. It’s even more impressive considering that there aren’t a lot of places harder to win at than Ames, Iowa.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.When Campbell came to Iowa State, the team had just finished a three-year stretch where it won seven games and lost 25. It wasn’t easy in Campbell’s first season, either, when the 36-year-old went 3-9 in his debut.
Since then, Iowa State has only had one losing season, and last year, Campbell led Iowa State to its best year ever (11-3).
Two days before Campbell’s name started to heat up in the Penn State coaching search, he received a strong endorsement from national insider Josh Pate of On3Sports.
“Penn State should have targeted Matt Campbell weeks ago & instead opted to chase unicorns.”
“What a disaster.”
Pate continued in a separate post.
“Iowa State football has existed 134 years…Campbell has them in the midst of the best 3-year run in program history,” he wrote.
“His DNA blends perfectly with what PSU needs. How are you this blind?”
If Penn State was blind, it isn’t anymore.
The Penn State coaching search, for the moment, is ongoing.
