I'm sure there are tons of articles on this subject, but PedState is now in a position the rest of us can appreciate. They fired a guy who didn't win a title but he won A LOT of games. So when you do that the coaching fraternity takes note and the elite coaches (who you can count on one hand) can demand Fort Knox.
So if PSU pays that, then they have less money for the players. I'm guessing Campbell demanded a lot, but not as much as Urban or Cig would've demanded.
Campbell is definitely a risk (no one is a guarantee), but if he fails they probably have the $$$ to move on.
Here's ESPN ranking the hires ...
The coaching changes came at a dizzying clip. Which schools did the best -- and worst -- jobs?
www.espn.com
Kiffin = A+
Franklin = A
Morris = A
Sumrall = A
Mora = A
Carney = A
Campbell = A (7th best hire)
Huff = A
Every other hire is rated beneath those guys.
7. Matt Campbell, Penn State. When Campbell took over at Iowa State in 2016, the Cyclones had enjoyed two ranked finishes
ever, none higher than 19th. He engineered a No. 9 finish in 2020 and a No. 15 showing in 2024, succeeding enough that going 8-4 in 2025 almost seemed disappointing. He had eight winning seasons in nine years after ISU had just seven between 1981 and 2016. The problem for almost anyone Penn State hired was going to be that he wouldn't have a résumé that stacked up with that of the guy it just fired (Franklin). Campbell comes about as close as one can get.