Why Bob Chesney is already giving Penn State buyer's remorse over Matt Campbell hire

Why Bob Chesney is already giving Penn State buyer's remorse over Matt Campbell hire originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Four new coaches were hired in the Big Ten this past offseason. Only one is off to a strong start — and it isn't at the school you'd expect.

While Kyle Whittingham at Michigan (3-2) and Pat Fitzgerald at Michigan State (2-3) haven't looked like home-run hires yet either, Matt Campbell's debut season at Penn State (3-2) has, at best, been rocky so far. The Nittany Lions hired the former Iowa State coach with a hope that he could help them punch upward against the Big Ten's elite, something James Franklin struggled to do. Instead, Penn State enters Week 6 coming off back-to-back embarrassing losses.

After allowing a massive comeback to Wisconsin at home, then getting blown out by Northwestern, the Campbell era isn't off to a glorious start in Happy Valley — and while there's plenty of time to turn it around on an eight-year contract, Penn State may be looking at UCLA's start under Bob Chesney with some regrets.

Here's a look back at Penn State's Campbell hire and why Chesney didn't wind up with the Nittany Lions.

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Why did Penn State hire Matt Campbell?

Penn State parted ways with Franklin in 2025 due to a built-up frustration of the team's inability to break through as an elite Big Ten team despite annual success. The Nittany Lions had six double-digit win seasons under Franklin, but consistently came up short against Ohio State, Michigan and more — so when they went to hire a new coach, someone with a proven ability to punch up was a priority.

Campbell built a reputation at Iowa State not just for becoming the most successful coach in program history, but doing so without many resources or financial might. On a few occasions with the Cyclones, his teams pulled off significant upset wins, including wins over top-10-ranked opponents.

Campbell's team-first mindset, commitment to one program over the past decade, and success in big games made him a fit for Penn State's tradition-focused culture, and he proved willing to leave Ames for State College.

He brought a collection of Iowa State talent with him to Happy Valley. But so far, it hasn't translated to Big Ten success.

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Matt Campbell career record

• 110-72 (.604)

Including his 3-2 start to the 2026 season at Penn State, Campbell's teams have gone 110-72 in his career. A majority of those games came at Iowa State, but Campbell also had a five-year run at Toledo.

Campbell has only coached one team to a 10-win season, which came in 2024 at Iowa State as the Cyclones finished 11-3. He has coached 10 teams to a bowl game, though, with a 5-5 record in those matchups.

Did Bob Chesney interview with Penn State?

With Franklin being fired in October, Penn State's head coaching job was one of the first vacancies of the 2025 season, giving the school a chance to consider a long list of candidates. At the very least, Chesney, a Pennsylvania native, was on that list of coaches under consideration, but it hasn't been made clear whether he ever formally interviewed with the Nittany Lions.

According to Bruins247, Chesney "had been on Penn State's second tier of candidates" and did interview for the job, but ultimately agreed to become UCLA's head coach before Penn State filled its own vacancy. Assuming that's the case, it isn't officially known why Chesney chose the Bruins over the Nittany Lions, but the length of Penn State's decision likely played into it.

The Athletic also listed Chesney among the many candidates that Penn State "had some level of interest in or contact with during the search."

At minimum, Chesney was clearly UCLA's top target, while he was more of an "in the mix" candidate for Penn State. Had he joined the Nittany Lions, he would have been staying in his home state, not too far from James Madison.

Instead, Chesney took the Bruins' job, a decision that's looking better by the day.

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Who else interviewed for Penn State job?

Here's a list of names that were connected to the Penn State job in some fashion, according to The Athletic and ESPN:

• 2025 interim head coach Terry Smith
• Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman
• Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko
• Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell
• Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule
• Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti
• Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer
• Former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald
• Former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll
• James Madison head coach Bob Chesney
• Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm
• Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea
• Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline
• Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia
• Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees
• BYU head coach Kalani Sitake

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Penn State hiring timeline after James Franklin

Considering Penn State had one of the first vacancies of the 2025 college football season, it took the school a remarkably long period to land on a head coach despite that leg-up on others.

The Nittany Lions went through a series of reported declined offers and interviews with notable coaches after parting ways with Franklin.

Oct. 12, 2026: Penn State fires James Franklin

After being ranked No. 2 in the preseason AP Poll with plenty of talent returning, then proceeding to lose to UCLA and Northwestern in consecutive weeks, Penn State fired James Franklin in mid-October last year.

The decision wasn't simply a reflection of the 2025 struggles — for years, the Nittany Lions' inability to break through against the Big Ten's best was becoming a point of frustration for their fanbase. Despite Franklin's long track record of success, leading the program back to national relevance, athletic director Pat Kraft decided it was time to move on.

Oct. 13, 2026: AD Pat Kraft says Penn State is looking for 'elite leader'

Considering the program's national status and resources, the Penn State vacancy immediately became a high-profile job for some of the hottest coaching candidates in the sport.

Athletic director Pat Kraft said the program was looking for "elite leader for our Penn State football program," with the school prepared to take big swings.

Among the early reported candidates were potential massive draws: Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman, Texas A&M's Mike Elko and Indiana's Curt Cignetti.

Oct. 16, 2025: Cignetti signs extension at Indiana

When it became apparent that Penn State would try to pry Cignetti from the Hoosiers, instead, the coach used it as leverage to land a more lucrative extension.

Soon after the Franklin firing, Cignetti landed a deal that took him through the 2033 season with Indiana, with more coaching extensions to come.

Oct. 30, 2025: Another candidate off the board as Matt Rhule extends at Nebraska

In the weeks following Franklin's departure, another name that continually found himself connected to Penn State was a Nittany Lions alum, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule.

Considering Rhule's ties to Penn State and connection to Kraft, it made some sense — but instead, the Cornhuskers announced a two-year extension with their coach, who passed on his opportunity to potentially join another Big Ten squad.

Nov. 15, 2025: Mike Elko signs extension at Texas A&M

Elko joined the list of rumored Penn State candidates to re-up with their current schools in November.

He inked a six-year extension at Texas A&M, earning a raise after the threat of him leaving for Happy Valley.

Dec. 2, 2025: Kalani Sitake extends at BYU, with Penn State search reaching a panic

By December, with Penn State not seeming to make any progress on its coaching search despite the added time to do so, there was starting to be a sense of panic from its fanbase. Other names who had either been ruled out, or passed up on, included Brian Hartline, Chesney, Pat Fitzgerald and even Alabama's Kalen DeBoer, who was reportedly a target the Nittany Lions would go after if the Crimson Tide lost to Auburn.

In late November, BYU's Kalani Sitake emerged as the favorite for Penn State, and for a moment, it appeared the Nittany Lions would be landing him as a fairly accomplished option. Instead, once again, Sitake chose to stay at his current school, with an extension announced after BYU supporters rallied to keep him coaching the Cougars.

The more time that passed, the more it looked like the Nittany Lions would be forced to remove the interim tag for Terry Smith, who took over for Franklin.

Dec. 5, 2025: Penn State lands Campbell on eight-year deal

Finally, after months of striking out on big names, Penn State found its coach in Campbell — who, based on reports, was in consideration from early in the search but didn't connect with the Nittany Lions until December.

On an eight-year contract, Campbell agreed to leave his longtime Iowa State program. The deal reportedly came together quickly once the coach did connect with the Nittany Lions.

“I never wanted to be that coach that was, ‘Oh man, I’m going to jump from job to job,” Campbell said, per The Athletic. “If we were ever to leave Iowa State, I wanted to go somewhere (where) I wanted to finish my career. … I found that, and I couldn’t be more humbled and more grateful for that opportunity.”