STATE COLLEGE – Shortly after James Franklin was fired as Penn State football coach in October, the thought of filling that opening crossed Matt Campbell’s mind 900 miles away in Ames, Iowa.
“Man, what’s going on there?” Campbell said he told himself. “You always said there would be one or two places (he’d consider) because of my grandparents and great grandparents growing up in this region. There were some things that you’re like, ‘Maybe this place is something that is meant to be someday.’ ”
Two months later, after a protracted search, the 46-year-old Campbell was introduced Monday as the Nittany Lions’ new football coach at a Beaver Stadium press conference.
He had spent the last 10 seasons at Iowa State, where he became the Cyclones’ all-time leader in wins and where he guided them to their first two top-15 finishes in the polls.
A day after BYU coach Kalani Sitake turned down Penn State’s offer last week, director of athletics Pat Kraft called Campbell last Wednesday night and then university president Neeli Bendapudi called the next morning.
Those two conversations heightened Campbell’s interest in the job. A deal was completed Friday afternoon and formally approved Monday by the Board of Trustees.
“I don’t have an agent, so I purposely made sure I wasn’t talking to anybody,” Campbell said. “I’ve always done that. I’m not getting on the phone and talking to anybody during the season. Your focus has to be on your kids and not about chasing these jobs.
“I always felt if the right job at the right time (came along), you’re going to have to be called to be somewhere. When the phone call came, it went pretty fast after that. Talking to President Neeli and Pat, you knew these were the right people you wanted to be around.”
Campbell said that he previously accepted two jobs and then changed his mind after sleeping on it. He said the 2020 pandemic deeply affected him and how he looked at his coaching future.
“You’re sitting at home that spring and I remember looking at my wife (Erica) and our four children,” he said. “It really gave me perspective. I think I was the guy that, ‘Man, do I want to bounce around and do the next big thing?’
“I said, ‘No, you better have some priorities in your life.’ If you are ever going to leave or move, it better be about your family.”
Matt and Erica Campbell grew up in Massillon, Ohio, and have family there or elsewhere in northeastern Ohio.
“To be able to have my father, my mother, my brother and my wife’s family be a part of this journey with me means a lot.”
Campbell signed an eight-year contract with Penn State worth a guaranteed $70.5 million after he made $5 million annually at Iowa State.
He said he planned to talk to the current assistant coaches before he makes any decisions regarding the staff. Derek Hoodjer, Iowa State’s assistant athletic director for football player personnel, has already joined Campbell as Penn State football’s new general manager.
He also agreed to keep interim head coach Terry Smith, the former Nittany Lions wide receiver who signed a new four-year contract reportedly that makes him the highest-paid non-coordinator in the country.
Smith will coach Penn State (6-6) against Clemson (7-5) in the Pinstripe Bowl Dec. 27 at Yankee Stadium in New York. Campbell first met Smith when Campbell was the head coach at Toledo and Smith was the head coach at Gateway High School in Pittsburgh.
“It was critically important for me to keep Terry,” Campbell said. “Terry and I have (had) a great partnership from his days at Gateway. I know what he’s about and what he stands for.
“As soon as we got into discussions for this job, I asked, ‘Boy, I would really like to keep Terry. What do you think?’ It was a resounding yes. I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Campbell’s family has known former Penn State quarterback Todd Blackledge (now an analyst with NBC Sports) and his father, Ron, a former Pittsburgh Steelers assistant coach, because they were from the same area in Ohio.
Campbell also said he had a conversation with former Penn State defensive lineman Matt Millen, who first met him when he was at Toledo.
“Matt has always been really open with me,” Campbell said. “My respect for Matt, his football knowledge of being a GM and playing, his unwavering love for Penn State football, it was really good to get his perspective.
“Anytime you’re coming into a new situation, you’re just trying to gain perspective. I know Matt will be a great resource for me every step of the way.”
Campbell also spoke with Penn State wrestling coach Cael Sanderson, an Iowa State grad who coached the Cyclones’ wrestling team before coming to State College.
“He really helped me,” he said about Sanderson’s call Saturday “He told me, ‘Man, I know what you’re feeling. And I’m telling you this is the right decision for you and your family.’
“He identified some of the things we were feeling leaving there and worked me through it. I appreciated it.”
Campbell said he also received affirmation from his Iowa State players, who thanked him individually and told him he was doing the right thing.
The day after Kraft fired Franklin, he spoke about searching for a coach who could lead Penn State to a national championship.
“We know what the expectations are here at Penn State,” he said. “I know what the expectations are. I want those expectations. I have the same goals and our kids are going to have the same goals.
“The great joy is trying to put this puzzle together.”
