For Penn State, being able to sign Matt Campbell is an excellent selection considering they waited until the 11th hour to do so, and it does not seem like he was near the top of their selection list. However, as good as the hire is despite the circumstances and timing of the hire, the problem remains: Does Matt Campbell make the Nittany Lions any better than where James Franklin had the program?
We all know he is the winningest coach in Iowa State history and has had a consistent run in Ames. The problem for me, though, is how does that translate to Penn State? If you can consistently win 8 or 9 as the coach of the Cyclones, does that translate to 10 or 11 wins consistently where he is now?
Obviously, the expectations are much higher at Penn State, and it will be interesting to see a guy who never won a conference championship in what many consider a weaker conference, will be able to do so in the Big Ten. Now I know people will say, well, they have more NIL and have a better recruiting base, but this man had Brock Purdy, Breece Hall, David Montgomery, and others, but still was not able to win a conference championship.
I just do not think being decent or pulling off an upset now and then, like he did a few times over Oklahoma, but I think he will run into the same problems as James Franklin, and that is not being able to beat Ohio State or the second top team, whether that be Michigan, Oregon, or Indiana.
Obviously Coach Campbell has respect around the college football world and he may thrive with the NIL money that is in Happy Valley, but I think it is important that the fans and decision makers give him a chance to get his culture in place. There seems to be a certain expectation that is somewhat delusional for a program that has not won a national championship officially since 1986.
They might be worse than Notre Dame fans with the expectations and almost four decades without a national championship. Sometimes you have to accept where your program is and understand not to take things for granted because it could be worse. I wish Coach Campbell the best, but it will not be nearly as friendly as it was in Ames.