Matt Campbell left Iowa State to become the new head football coach at Penn State.

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Out of all four head coaching hirings in the Big Ten ahead of the 2026-27 season, Penn State adding Matt Campbell might be the flashiest and most intriguing. 

The coaching search and hiring process surrounding Campbell was certainly chaotic and maybe slightly unorthodox, but the Nittany Lions eventually found their guy. 

Even if it took getting passed on a few times. 

The 46-year-old Campbell is pretty young for a head coach with as much experience as he has. He started at Toledo before moving to Iowa State, where he turned the Cyclones into a nationally relevant program after they went 8-28 in the three years before he showed up.

Now he takes over one of college football’s premier programs after they decided to move on from James Franklin. The main reasoning for Franklin’s firing was his inability to win the big game. He went 4-21 against AP top 10 teams, and 1-14 against teams ranked in the top five.

Fortunately for Campbell, he might not face any top 10 teams this year, as their schedule does not feature Ohio State, Oregon or Indiana. They will face Michigan and Washington on the road, and USC at home. Still, dodging the big three in his first season is a quite lucky break for Campbell.

Campbell brought in the fourth-best transfer class in the nation thanks to 39 incoming players. 23 of those players followed him from Iowa State, including QB Rocco Becht, leading rusher Carson Hansen, their top four receivers, and their top four tacklers. 

Add in some other solid transfers, and Campbell should have the roster to make a good first impression in Happy Valley.

Record projection: 10-2 (7-2 in the Big Ten)

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