CFB Insider Reportedly 'Bad-Mouthed' Matt Campbell to Penn State amid HC Search

Penn State's long and winding road to finding its next football head coach ended when the team agreed to terms with Iowa State HC Matt Campbell.

On Wednesday, ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, Max Olson, Eli Lederman published a deep dive into the coaching search and how PSU landed on Campbell.

In essence, PSU wasn't high on Campbell earlier in the search after getting some intel that dissuaded them against Iowa State's leader, including comments from an industry insider bad-mouthing his efforts in the NCAA transfer portal.

"Campbell, meanwhile, had not gained much traction. Despite Penn State's initial interest, the school had received 'some intel that was not accurate' about the ISU coach, a source familiar with the search said. Essentially, Campbell was portrayed as a coach who would struggle with the magnitude of the Penn State job, especially the recruiting and roster construction elements when targeting higher-profile players who would demand serious money.

"An industry insider 'basically bad-mouthed Matt, told Pat that he didn't work the portal well,' said a source familiar with the search. 'It dampened Pat's interest. He got a bad read about Matt from that [person]. That's why I think he steered in a different direction.'"

A host of different coaches were speculated in connection to PSU in the media, including Nebraska's Matt Rhule, Indiana's Curt Cignetti and Texas A&M's Mike Elko.

However, BYU's Kalani Sitake appeared like a realistic option. The ESPN trio reported that "by late November, the school was locked in on Sitake." This was after Sitake reportedly became Penn State's focus around Halloween.

However, BYU agreed to terms with Sitake on a long-term contract on Dec. 2.

One day later, an associate of both Campbell and PSU athletic director Pat Kraft implored the AD to look into Campbell.

The two later connected on the phone, and Kraft loved what he heard.

"I was banging my head against the wall like, 'Why did it take so long for us to find each other?'" Kraft said. "He was perfect, and we connected on so many levels. I woke my wife, Betsy, up and said, 'Oh my God, he's the guy.'"

On Dec. 5, Campbell agreed to an eight-year, $70.5 million deal.

Campbell was Toledo's head coach from the end of the 2011 season through 2015, going 35-15. He then left for Iowa State and went 72-55, including a No. 9 finish in the final 2020 Associated Press poll.

He takes over a PSU program that parted ways with long-time head coach James Franklin after a 3-3 start en route to a 6-6 season, with a Pinstripe Bowl appearance still remaining.