Matt Campbell describes telling Iowa State players of Penn State job as 'the most gut-wrenching process I've ever had to go through'

Following a much publicized head coaching search, Penn State announced the hiring of Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell on Dec. 8. Campbell, who went 72-55 across 10 seasons in Ames, will replace former head coach James Franklin in Happy Valley. Franklin, who led the program to a College Football Playoff appearance last season, was fired following Penn State‘s 3-3 start to the season.

The jump was a long time coming for Campbell, who had seemingly been present on every single head coaching hot board for the past five seasons. During a one-on-one interview with Josh Pate on Monday, Campbell described how tough it was to inform his Iowa State players that he was taking the Penn State job.

“I would say the most gut-wrenching process I’ve ever had to go through,” Campbell told Pate. “We talked about this the last time. I think for me, to ever leave, it had to be right in three ways. By my family was No. 1, No. 2 was the leadership and who you were going to link arms with. Could you link arms with people that were the right people for you?”

“And No. 3, most importantly, and we talked about this at Iowa State, where you have a chance to go somewhere where you can stand for what’s right. Because I feel like for 14 years now as a head football coach, we’ve never wavered from those value systems. That was really the tipping point for maybe this was the right job.”

Campbell, who departed Toledo for Iowa State following the 2015 season, took the Cyclones to new heights. Prior to his arrival, the program had enjoyed just one nine-win campaign in program history (2000). In its ten years under guidance from Campbell, Iowa State recorded at least nine wins twice, and even won a program-record 11 games in 2024.

“Matt Campbell is an unbelievable person, and I would be remiss if I didn’t bring him up,” new Iowa State head coach Jimmy Rogers said during his introductory press conference on Monday. “What he’s done for this university the last decade, how he’s built the program, build a culture where the players love their coach. To walk into an unbelievable opportunity… a large part of what Iowa State is and what the football program has become is due to Matt Campbell, and I’m thankful for him and that friendship.”

With Campbell at the helm, Penn State will look to wipe this season from its memory and get back to its winning ways. They’ve won at least 10 games in nine different seasons this century, and will look to record season No. 10 in 2026.