Penn State’s 54-day coaching search concluded with the hiring of Matt Campbell, a move that has drawn praise from several national college football voices, including Kirk Herbstreit and Josh Pate.
ESPN college football writer Bill Connelly also applauded the hire, awarding athletic director Pat Kraft an “A” grade for landing Campbell.
“When Campbell took over at Iowa State in 2016, the Cyclones had just two ranked finishes ever, none higher than 19th,” Connelly wrote. “He engineered a No. 9 finish in 2020 and a No. 15 showing in 2024, succeeding enough that going 8–4 in 2025 almost seemed disappointing. He posted eight winning seasons in nine years after ISU had just seven between 1981 and 2016. The problem for almost anyone Penn State hired was going to be that he wouldn’t have a résumé that stacked up to the guy it just fired (Franklin). Campbell comes about as close as one can get.”
Connelly ranked Campbell’s hire No. 7 overall among recent coaching changes.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.He also gave Virginia Tech an “A” grade and ranked its hire of James Franklin No. 2 overall, while LSU’s acquisition of Lane Kiffin topped Connelly’s list.
Campbell arrives in State College with a 107–70 career record and is a three-time recipient of the Big 12 Coach of the Year award.
He will get his first look at his new team on Saturday, when Penn State faces Clemson in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for noon (ET) on ABC.
