Matt Campbell spent the past 10 seasons as the Cyclones coach but is now taking over the Penn State coaching job.
Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard, who hired Campbell, got emotional as he expressed his feelings about the coach following the coach’s decision to move on from the program.
“He’s had an amazing run as our football coach and didn’t get to do it in front of his family and friends,” Pollard said. “He had other times he could have left and he chose not to. Matt Campbell owes Iowa State nothing because he did more than we could have ever, ever dreamed he would do as our head coach.
‘So, a page turns, but none of us are here forever. Life goes on, and that’s how I just viewed it.’
NFL teams had reportedly approached Campbell in recent years regarding their head coaching jobs, but he remained loyal to the Cyclones.
He’s the winningest coach in program history, finishing with a 72-55 overall record and a 50-40 record in Big 12 Conference play. He led the team to a conference title in 2020 and finished his tenure with a 3-4 bowl game record.