Penn State football is 'working to finalize' a deal to make Iowa State's Matt Campbell its next coach

Penn State is ‘working to finalize’ a deal to make Iowa State’s Matt Campbell its next head coach, sources tell BWI and On3’s Pete Nakos. The Massillon, Ohio, native would be leaving the Cyclones after 10 seasons to replace James Franklin in State College and become the 17th leader of the Lions in program history. It would be his first Big Ten job.

According to an ESPN report, Campbell’s ISU buyout is $2 million. Lions athletic director Pat Kraft would happily find a way to pay it to end a 50-plus-day coaching search that initially looked like it would end with the Lions hiring BYU’s Kalani Sitake, only for him to receive an extension to stay with his alma mater on Tuesday. That forced Kraft to reset his search. And, within less than a week, it centered firmly on Campbell.

Getting this deal across the finish line would be as good an outcome as Kraft could have hoped for. He’s been criticized locally and nationally for how this search has played out. But in the end, he is on the verge of getting a coach known for “doing more with less.” A three-time Big 12 Coach of the Year winner, he is 72-55 all-time as a head coach. And, with a mark of 72-55 with the Cyclones, he is one of a select few coaches to ever win that many games in the Big 12.

More: Discuss the new Penn State coach with fellow fans inside The Lions Den forum!

“Matt Campbell’s biggest flaw is he doesn’t really play the game the same way other guys do,” national college football analyst Josh Pate said recently. “He refuses to be a candidate for this stuff during a season. Therefore, his name is not really involved in a lot of coaching searches because the earliest that he’s gonna allow his name to be involved in a coaching search is the end of November.

“But the people who push back on Matt Campbell as a legitimate candidate just floor me. Their reasons just floor me. I’m not gonna relitigate all of this. Matt Campbell’s a stud as a head coach. I think he’s perfectly cut out for the Penn State job. The edge, the grit, the attention to detail. The different way you have to sell Penn State. The understanding of placing premium on eval and development. The magnetism that the guy’s program has. How much discount players taken to play for him, and staffers. Everything you would want in a Penn State coach he has.”