A couple of high-profile figures in Pennsylvania offered Matt Campbell some insight before and after he accepted the position as Penn State’s new head football coach.
Campbell said at his introductory press conference on Monday that he spoke to Gov. Josh Shapiro on Thursday, the day before agreeing to terms with Penn State, then talked with Nittany Lion wrestling coach Cael Sanderson on Saturday.
Sanderson and Campbell, of course, share a connection through Iowa State. After becoming a four-time national champion for the school, Sanderson led the Cyclones’ wrestling program for three seasons as head coach before leaving and becoming the most successful coach in Penn State history. Campbell comes to State College after leading the Iowa State football team for the past decade.
“I hope, no I’m going to demand a similar standard of excellence as the last great Iowa State coach that came here, and that last great Iowa State coach is Cael Sanderson,” Campbell said.
He said they had a 45-minute phone conversation.
“We talked about our similar journeys and similar paths,” Campbell said. “We’ve watched Cael from afar and talked about building excellence in a program the way Cael has. To be able to link arms with him, I couldn’t be more grateful, and Cael I really appreciate your time.”
Sanderson was uniquely positioned to understand the difficult decision for Campbell to leave an Iowa State community where he had developed roots and head to Penn State.
“He really helped me,” Campbell said during a sit-down with a small group of Penn State beat reporters after Monday’s press conference. “I think just how things finished there, it was kind of almost giving the saving grace of, ‘Man, I know what you’re feeling right now, and I’m telling you, this is the right decision for you, and this is the right decision for your family.’”
While their time in Ames didn’t overlap, Campbell’s did intersect with Kevin Jackson, who as USA Wrestling coach guided Sanderson to Olympic gold and succeeded him as the Cyclones’ head coach, and some of the sports science staff who worked with Sanderson.
“And, you know, we’re all kind of die-hard wrestling fans,” Campbell said.
Shapiro, who as governor holds a non-voting ex officio position on the university’s Board of Trustees, apparently helped with the pitch to bring Campbell to Penn State.
“His time, words and encouragement during this journey and this process were incredible,” Campbell said. “To be able to have him take the time to call Thursday night and talk to me about the integrity and the grit and the character of the great people of this state and what this institution means to the state of Pennsylvania, I couldn’t be more grateful. And Governor Shapiro, we’ll make you really proud of what this football program stands for.”
Penn State made Campbell’s hiring official on Monday morning with the Board of Trustees Equity and Human Resources Committee approving an eight-year contract worth $70.5 million in guaranteed compensation plus incentives.
Mike Poorman contributed to this story.
