who is penn state's new coach

Penn State’s new head football coach is Matt Campbell , who was officially named the 17th head coach of the Nittany Lions in December 2025.

Quick Scoop

• Matt Campbell takes over after a long run at Iowa State, where he became the winningest coach in Cyclones history and earned multiple Big 12 Coach of the Year awards.

• Penn State’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved his hire, and he is being brought in as the program’s next long-term leader following James Franklin’s departure.

• Athletics director Patrick Kraft highlighted Campbell’s culture-building, player development, and alignment with Penn State’s values as key reasons for the hire.

Who Matt Campbell Is

• Campbell spent about a decade as Iowa State’s head coach, leading them to rare Top 15 AP finishes and coaching numerous All-Americans.

• He is widely viewed as a program-builder , known for emphasizing toughness, development, and stability over quick fixes.

Why Penn State Picked Him

• Penn State went through a turbulent coaching search after firing James Franklin mid-season and missing on early targets like BYU’s Kalani Sitake.

• Campbell was ultimately labeled “the right leader at the right time” by Kraft, who pointed to his track record and values as fitting Penn State’s expectations to compete for championships.

What It Means Going Forward

• Campbell inherits a roster built to compete in the expanded playoff era, with expectations to contend seriously by 2026.

• Fans and media see his hire as a reset: a move toward stronger identity, development, and long-term consistency in the Big Ten.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.