Penn State coach Matt Campbell, whose 3-3 Nittany Lions last won nearly a month ago, is focused on his team, his staff and the preparations for their game on Saturday afternoon against Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Right now, Campbell cares only about The Big House and what’s going on in his own football house, the Lasch Building.
That means no time — and no need — for meeting with his boss, Pat Kraft, Penn State’s vice president for intercollegiate athletics. Kraft hired Campbell 10 months and one week ago, to replace James Franklin, who Kraft fired one year and two days ago.
That’s my takeaway from Campbell’s answer to my questions posed to the head coach during his eight-minute media availability in the Lasch team room on Wednesday.
Q: Can you share, Matt, the support you’ve got from Dr. Kraft? And do you guys meet regularly — have a scheduled meeting?
A: “There’s been so much time, effort and energy internally getting ourselves aligned. Pat is certainly willing to be available, wanting to be available, wanting to help every step of the way.
“But my focus has been completely on this building. How do we identify where we are? How do we continue to put the right standards and expectations in this football program? And then how do we continue to navigate, obviously, the internal challenges of putting a team, a new staff together, and kind of making sure we’re making the right decisions in-house the best way we possibly can.”
THE TIMELINE: Given this week’s one-year anniversary date of Kraft’s firing of Franklin on Oct. 12, 2025, much has been made of the fact that it took Kraft 54 days from the release of Franklin to the hiring of Campbell on Dec. 5. (Campbell was officially introduced to the media and supporters on Dec. 8.)
There has been criticism that the hiring date of Campbell impacted his ability to put together a fully complete and competitive roster, in part because the high school signing period of Dec. 3-5, 2025, had come and gone —though it’s somewhat doubtful many incoming freshmen would have made a big impact this season. The main portal window for transfer additions was open Jan. 2-16, 2026.
In 2026, in the Power 4 there are 17 head football coaches in the first full season at their FBS school. (Power 4 conferences are: ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and the SEC.) Also, there are an additional 17 head coaches in the same situation in the overall FBS.
Among the most prominent is Pennsylvania native Bob Chesney, who UCLA hired away from James Madison on Dec. 6. The Bruins are 5-0 and ranked No. 12 in this week’s AP poll, after defeating Oregon 17-15 in Eugene on Saturday. Chesney, who had interviewed for the open Penn State position, brought 11 players with him from JMU to UCLA. (Campbell brought 23 players with him from Iowa State.)
Jon Sumrall, hired by Florida on Nov. 30, has the Gators 4-2, with an upset over Ole Miss. Florida was 4-8 in 2025. Will Stein, the former Oregon offensive coordinator, was hired by Kentucky on Dec. 1. The Wildcats, who beat Texas A&M 31-21, are 5-1 and ranked No. 15.
Chesney’s successor, Billy Napier, was hired by JMU on Dec. 6. JMU is in the Group of 6 and not the Power 4. Napier was fired by Florida on Oct. 19. James Madison is 6-0 and two weeks ago defeated Marshall, 45-17. (Penn State beat Marshall 45-0 in their season-opener.)
THE CIGNETTI EFFECT: The man who raised the expectations for immediate success for every new head coaching hire in college football — Curt Cignetti at Indiana — was hired on Nov. 30, 2023. He also came from James Madison, and brought 13 of his JMU players to Indiana for the 2024 season.
Under Cignetti, the Hoosiers have gone 11-2, 16-0 and 6-0, with two College Football Playoff appearances and a national championship. In the three seasons before Cignetti’s arrival, Indiana had a combined record of 9-27 under Tom Allen (who landed as Penn State’s defensive coordinator in 2024).
NEW POWER 4 HIRES: Here’s a look at the new Power 4 hires, their current record, school and hiring date (Ole Miss’ Pete Golding, at 5-1, is not included below, since he took over during the CFP):
Bob Chesney (5-0), UCLA, Dec. 6
Morgan Scalley (5-0), Utah, Dec. 13
Will Stein (5-1), Kentucky, Dec. 1
Eric Morris (4-1), Oklahoma State, Nov. 25
Lane Kiffin (4-2), LSU, Nov. 30
Jon Sumrall (4-2), Florida, Nov. 30
James Franklin (4-2), Virginia Tech, Nov. 17
Collin Klein (3-2), Kansas State, Dec. 4
Alex Golesh (3-2), Auburn, Nov. 30
Kyle Whittingham (3-2), Michigan, Dec. 26
MATT CAMPBELL (3-3), PENN STATE, Dec. 5
Jimmy Rogers (3-3), Iowa State, Dec. 5
Tosh Lupoi (3-3), Cal, Dec. 4
Pat Fitzgerald (2-4), Michigan State, Dec. 1
Travis Pritchard (2-4), Stanford, Nov. 28
Ryan Silverfield (2-4), Arkansas, Nov. 30
Here is a partial list PROMINENT GROUP OF 6 NEW HIRES and how they are performing at their new school:
Billy Napier (6-0), James Madison, Dec. 6
Charles Huff (5-1), Memphis, Dec. 8
Brian Hartline (4-2), South Florida, Dec. 3
Mike Jacobs (4-2), Toledo, Dec. 10
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