🚨 Report: Penn State Finalizing Deal With Matt Campbell To Become Head Coach | College Football

Summary

Podcast Summary: Cover 3 College Football

Episode: 🚨 Report: Penn State Finalizing Deal With Matt Campbell To Become Head Coach | College Football

Date: December 5, 2025
Hosts: Chip Patterson & Tom Fornelli (Danny Kanell and Bud Elliott not present in this conversation)

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Episode Overview

This special episode of the Cover 3 College Football podcast focuses on breaking news: Penn State is in the final stages of a deal to hire Iowa State’s Matt Campbell as head football coach. Chip Patterson and Tom Fornelli provide a comprehensive breakdown of the protracted coaching search, Campbell’s fit at Penn State, implications for both programs, and quick takes on the coaching carousel. The conversation draws from both hosts’ longstanding observations of Campbell and offers early projections for the 2026 season.

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Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Context: The Search & The Surprise Outcome

• Penn State’s search was long and bumpy: 54 days after James Franklin’s firing, the process was public and scrutinized, featuring many rumored candidates.

• Chip acknowledges the journey:
  "Penn State fans...it feels like it's been 84 years, but it's been 54 days. ...We get to say...Penn State is in the final stages of negotiation to hire Iowa State's Matt Campbell." (03:00)

• Tom on the process:
  “Wow, what a horrible process for a great result. And how do we let Penn State fall ass backwards into a good hire?” (03:15)

• Jokes about the reporting caution: Media are very careful about the language, given previous failed negotiations both for Penn State and for Matt Campbell in the past.

  "I have never seen so many reporters scared in my life with the way that they were phrasing it all day on Twitter..." (04:49)

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2. Why Matt Campbell? What Does He Bring?

• Track Record at Iowa State:

  • Most successful ISU coach historically: 5 of 12 "8-win seasons" are Campbell’s, majority of AP Top 25 finishes, plus notable bowl wins.
  • Player development: Particularly strong with quarterbacks & wide receivers—an area Penn State has struggled with recently.

  “He did a very good job of developing a lot of players at Iowa State, but particularly he developed quarterbacks and wide receivers. And what has Penn State had trouble developing in these last few years? Quarterbacks and wide receivers.” (07:47) “Since 2019, he's had 15 players drafted...” (06:56)

• Recruiting Potential:

  • Tom points out that Campbell recruited under constraints at ISU, but should adapt to Penn State’s higher-profile recruiting landscape.
  • “Penn State kind of will sell itself...the fact that Matt Campbell hasn't...really [been able] to swim in those four and five-star waters...will [not] keep him from being able to do so at Penn State.” (06:56)

• Why Campbell leaves now:

  • Financial limitations in the Big 12: ISU facing a projected $147M deficit by 2031.

  “Now that we’re in an era where NIL and all that kind of stuff...there’s a very real chance that Iowa State’s just not going to be able to compete.” (08:22)

• "Missed his window" no more:

  • Campbell long viewed as a top candidate for big jobs; perhaps Penn State was always on “the list.”

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3. Fit & Expectations at Penn State

Short-term Outlook:

• Roster challenges:

  • Recruiting class cratered after Franklin’s departure; expected player attrition.

  “As we detailed through the week, they are also losing a ton of the players that had us declaring them the number two team in the country and a Big Ten favorite.” (14:59)

• 2026 Season Prediction:

  • Realistic for fans: 8-4 seems reasonable, aiming higher ("not competing for a playoff spot next year" is OK).

  “I’m a really big Matt Campbell guy. I would have plenty of faith in that guy to get your program headed in the right direction in short order.” (16:16)

  • Penn State Schedule Analysis: Win projections range from 8–9 wins. (29:10–29:53)

Quarterback Situation:

• Rocco Becht possibility: Could follow Campbell from ISU to PSU; combo with incumbent Ethan Grunkemeyer desirable.

  “I would try to get both...” (16:36)

Transfer Portal & NIL Landscape

• Campbell is not expected to rely on “mercenary” transfers but will use the transfer portal strategically to fill holes.

  “The Matt Campbell culture probably is going to be developmental...trying to get a lot of good players in who are going to stay for a couple years.” (18:13)

• Overall, little change from the James Franklin model, but expectations are for Campbell to deliver in "big games." (19:19)

What is Success for Campbell at Penn State?

• Benchmarks: Playing for Big Ten title within 4–5 years, competing for CFP, beating Ohio State/Michigan/Oregon at least occasionally.

  "I think success for Matt Campbell is that he is playing in a Big Ten championship game within four or five years." (27:45)

• Developing QBs and Receivers: A core expectation discussed multiple times.

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4. Iowa State After Campbell

• Potential coaching candidates:
  • Nathan Scheelhaase (current Rams pass game coordinator, former ISU OC)
  • Jason Candle, Matt Entz, Sean Lewis discussed as possible hires.
• ISU’s job profile: Fan base is strong, but the job is not considered “great” due to financial constraints.

  “Matt Campbell made this job look a lot easier than historically it has been.” (24:29)

• Projected record for 2026: 7-5, acknowledging many unknowns at QB and HC. (30:53)

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5. Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the process:
  “Matt Campbell and Penn State told everybody that they're getting married and did not book a venue.” — Chip (11:57)

• On how Campbell will approach the transfer portal:
  "They're not going to be like getting into bidding wars for five stars who are looking for another payday...I think you're going to see high school recruiting and development." — Tom (18:49)

• On Campbell’s “fit” and Penn State’s outlook:
  "Our friend Ty Hildebrandt...I think he said, man, if Matt Campbell attacks this job the way he attacks those hat brims, oh, man, it's gonna be great." — Chip (20:12)

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6. Carousel & College Football Sidebars

• Some brief, lighthearted speculation on other potential coaching moves, including Lane Kiffin rumors and hot yoga studio preferences (31:41–32:18).

• Quick discussion about selection committee rankings impacting other teams (Iowa vs. James Madison, etc.)—circumstantial to the main topic.

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Key Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:00 | Transparency about real-time news and the “finalizing” of Matt Campbell’s hire | | 04:18 | Tom’s hedging—“Let us be the first to report that it did not happen…” (joking) | | 06:56 | Analysis of Campbell’s tenure/results at Iowa State | | 08:22 | ISU’s financial situation/why Campbell might leave now | | 10:21 | “How does Matt Campbell feel about being the 11th choice?” (and hosts’ reactions) | | 14:59 | Penn State’s recruiting/player attrition challenges | | 16:16 | Realistic expectations for 2026 season | | 16:36 | Rocco Becht vs. Grunkemeyer QB talk | | 18:13 | Matt Campbell’s likely approach to the transfer portal | | 20:12 | Ty Hildebrandt’s “hat brims” comment | | 23:17–25:45| Discussion of Iowa State’s future HC search | | 27:45 | “What is success for Matt Campbell at Penn State?” | | 29:10–29:53| Hosts’ game-by-game projections for PSU in 2026 | | 30:53 | ISU’s projected 2026 record | | 33:44 | Recap: “You’ve wound up with him [Campbell]” and final reflections |

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Tone and Language

• Conversational, wry, and sometimes irreverent: Plenty of jokes about the marathon coaching search, the uncertainty of reports, and even “big brain” athletic director theories.
• Honest & Direct: Both hosts are frank about the shortcomings in the coaching search and the new realities for both Penn State and Iowa State.
• Analytical but lighthearted: Despite the depth of detail, the tone remains accessible, appealing to a broad CFB audience.

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Conclusion

This Cover 3 emergency pod delivers a thorough first reaction to the imminent Matt Campbell hire at Penn State. The hosts combine sharp analysis (historical stats, recruiting realities) with a grounded outlook for the future. The consensus: Despite the chaotic process, Campbell is a strong fit and brings developmental chops, program-building steadiness, and optimism for Penn State’s ability to compete at the upper tier of the new Big Ten. Iowa State’s post-Campbell era will be defined by its ability to manage new financial constraints and maintain momentum in a tougher landscape.

Memorable Sign-off:
"This is probably where you should have been all along, but that’s where it is…” — Chip (39:04)

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For More Reactions:

Catch their instant reactions to Championship Weekend games live at 11:30pm ET on Saturday.
Follow Chip Patterson (@chip_patterson) and Tom Fornelli (@TomFornelli) on Twitter for updates.

Transcript

[Chip Patterson]

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[Tom Fornelli]

Welcome Back to the COVID 3 podcast with your hosts, Chip Patterson, Tom Fernelli, Danny Cannell and Bud Elliott. It's your call for the best college football coverage from national signing day to the national championship and.

CBS Sports presents the COVID 3 Podcast.

[Chip Patterson]

And welcome back to the COVID 3 Podcast here on CBS Sports. That's Tom Fornelli. I'm Chip Patterson coming to you live YouTube.com cover three and everywhere. Get your podcast on demand. Thanks for hanging out. Smash that subscribe, smash that like and come and join us in the chat, aka the COVID 3 tailgate where Manny said, I've been waiting for this video for 54 days. That's right, Penn State fans. I know that it feels like it's been 84 years, but it's been 54 days. And finally we get to say to you that you see those sirens in your feed, you know exactly what that means. Now for those of you joining us live on YouTube.com cover three, just to be very transparent, here it is 3:22pm Eastern time. And right now, as you can see in the headline, the reports everywhere, all of our friends, all of our enemies, all of our colleagues, all of our ex colleagues, everyone is in lockstep with this. Penn State is in the final stages of negotiation to hire Iowa State's Matt Campbell. So we are going to unpack, obviously, the entire process that got us there. Matt Campbell as a candidate, Matt Campbell's future with Penn State expectations and more. All the stuff that would. We would always want to be sure to bring you here on the COVID 3 podcast. But just full transparency where we are here in the negotiation with those of you who are with those of you here with us live. Tom, I. I am going to just go ahead and get. Call. Call up all of.

[Tom Fornelli]

The.

[Chip Patterson]

The phrase that comes to mind, Tom Fornelli is never wrong. Just early. I've heard others describe this as, wow, what a horrible process for a great result. And how do we let Penn State fall ass backwards into a good hire? These are among the things that are coming to mind with the idea of Matt Campbell and Penn State. And so one more time for the people in the back, will you explain why on the day James Franklin was fired, you and I were talking about this job and you mentioned Matt Campbell's name, literally one of the first ones, you said, I don't think they'll hire him, but I think he'll be a great hire. So for the Penn State fans who have really been through it, why don't you. Why don't you let the people know what they're getting?

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, I think for clarity's sake, I said that I expected they would hire Matt Rule, but I would hire Matt Campbell. And I also said I think it'll end up being one of the two mats. And it seems to be. But I will also say, as I was first on that, let us be first to report that this might completely fall apart.

Given how Penn State's coaching search has gone to this point and given how Matt Campbell's dalliances with the coaching carousel have gone in years past. Until that press release comes out, I don't know if this is official. So just in case it doesn't happen, let us be the first to report that it did not happen. Give us credit when it doesn't. But yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

Well, looks like we're live on Twitter right now. Report finalizing deal. All right. Just make sure our words are correct on this one. All right. Journalistic integrity. That's what they come for us to us for.

[Tom Fornelli]

I have never seen so many reporters scared in my life with the way that they were phrasing it all day on Twitter with their tweets like they're. They're taking this proper steps towards completion of a deal because they are scared of Penn State, what's happening. They're scared of Matt Campbell with what's happened in the past. So, yeah, but I, I think this is real. I, I think that this will happen and I think like, yeah, it's been said, it's, it's been a horrible process for Penn State that it took them this long to get here, that they were so not just turned down because like even the biggest jobs, when you don't hear about it, plenty of coaches turn down jobs every single year. It's just for it to be so public the way that it has gone for Penn State. And then also like you just heard behind the scenes stuff about how some people were really putting a lot of eggs in the Kalyn DeBoer basket. Even though there was never really any indication that Kalyn DeBoer was interested. Even if he did lose a third game in Alabama, missed out on the College Football Playoff, that it delayed things in the Sataki thing and blah, blah, blah. But you ended up with a really good hire. Because I do think that Matt Campbell is a very good coach. I think if you look at his record at Iowa State, it doesn't pop off at you because it's not an incredible win loss record. But when you put it in the context of Iowa State and their history and he is far and away the most successful coach that they have had. Like they've had, I think the number was, I wrote about it earlier. They've had 12 seasons with eight or more wins. He's responsible for five of them.

[Chip Patterson]

I think I forgot you just, I forgot you just turned in a column on this. So you've got all that top of mind. I was just about to scramble. He's also got a majority. I used to always pull this one. He's got a majority of their AP top 25 finishes. I mean like bowl appearances, bowl wins, like it is, it has been in terms of any other coach that's been there and had even the smallest amount of success has run at the first thing that comes calling. He stayed there. He put in his, his program. He was just playing for the Big 12 title one year ago. They didn't get right back into Big 12 title contention. But what they were two games out in like this was a, this was still a, a fairly successful season for the Cyclones even as they were not able to compete for the Big 12 title again.

[Tom Fornelli]

And like he took over in 2016 and they hadn't had a draft pick until since 2014 and their next draft pick was 2019, which was players from his first recruiting class. And since 2019 he's had 15 players drafted. And I think one thing that will be interesting to Penn State fans, obviously he was recruiting very differently at Iowa State than he will be recruiting at Penn State. But I do think that Penn State kind of will sell itself. So I don't think the fact that Matt Campbell hasn't been allowed to really swim in those four and five star waters because he was at Iowa State will keep him from being able to do so at Penn State. But the one thing that would really be make me excited if I'm a Penn State fan, is he did a very good job of developing a lot of players at Iowa State, but particularly he developed quarterbacks and wide receivers. And what has Penn State had trouble developing in these last few years? Quarterbacks and wide receivers. And also.

You know, who's still got a year of eligibility left?

[Chip Patterson]

Is it Rocco?

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah. You know, who might need a quarterback next year? There's not an out, you know, he might be bringing Rocco back with him to Penn State. And I, I know that it has been like one of the reasons Matt Campbell was at Iowa State for so long was he liked it there. He got cold feet a couple times and stuck around at Iowa State when he was being flirted by, you know, quote unquote, bigger jobs elsewhere. But part of it was you just. If you look at the situation right now at Iowa State, we have seen the finances between the Big Ten and the SEC really pull away from the Big 12 and the ACC. So if you're wondering why Matt Campbell might be deciding, now is the time to go, aside from the fact that this is Penn State, there was a report recently that by the time the Big 12's current television deal ends in 2031, Iowa State will be operating at $147 million budget deficit. And the athletic department, the deficit that they facing right now, the problems that they're facing have caused them to stop renovations on Hilton Coliseum, which is their basketball facility. So now that we're in an era where nil and all that kind of stuff is going to be becoming far more important, there's a very real chance that Iowa State's just not going to be able to compete where it needs to compete to stay where it's been playing in these last few years. Because just recruiting and developing might not work the same way as it has for Matt Campbell. There's. So I don't think you can overlook that as far as one of the maybe possible motivating factors for him deciding to take this job. Which is another reason why I kind of thought he was ready to leave.

[Chip Patterson]

We did wonder on this podcast probably during an off season, you know, just when we're having more conversational topics about coaches. We wondered aloud whether Matt Campbell missed his window, that. Whether Matt Campbell was going to. You know, just kind of looking at the. The next three to five years, whether he was going to get a chance to. To have another shot at this. I mean, didn't we. Didn't we Photoshop him on a. On a. With a Michigan hat on or something at one point? I mean, this. This is. This is a coach who, at different times in his career, we've been like, okay, this is the guy that you got to go get. And if this job comes open, then you gotta. You know, you gotta go get Matt Campbell. And time moved on. Those jobs got filled, or he decided to stay. I'm. I think that for Matt Campbell, this is a great opportunity. I saw a question in the tailgate. How does Matt Campbell feel about being the 11th choice for the Penn State job?

[Tom Fornelli]

Fine.

[Chip Patterson]

Fine.

Because like I said, this. This is the jump. I mean, you think that the. The guy with Midwestern roots, you know, that Ohio area, like, you think. You think that he might have an understanding of what Penn State can be and about what successful Penn State can look like? Like, I. I think that this is probably on that short list. Wasn't that it? We always heard there was just a short list of jobs that Matt Campbell would really entertain taking. Like, yeah, I have to imagine Penn State was on that list.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah. I always felt like if Matt Campbell was ever going to leave Iowa State, it was going to be one of the top big ten jobs. And in recent years, he'd been more interested in jobs that weren't those jobs, which kind of just further kind of made me think he was getting ready to leave. And now he ended up landing one of those top big 10 jobs.

[Chip Patterson]

So reportedly, he is. He is reportedly just three clauses on page 19 away.

From.

[Tom Fornelli]

I loved this home run. Higher. It is now Friday afternoon. When the reports first started surfacing Friday morning, I loved. It was like, there's just a few steps left to go, like compensation and length of the deal and, you know, everything that you have to do. So just a few steps to go. And those steps were everything. Everything that you have to figure out.

[Chip Patterson]

Finalizing, you know, what the. How much you're gonna get paid to do the radio show, you know, just.

And these. Matt Campbell and Penn State told everybody that they're getting married and did not book a venue. And they said, oh, no. Oh, we need a dj, too. Oh, gosh. Okay, hold on, hold on, hold on. Yeah, yeah, we're still gonna get married. Don't worry.

[Tom Fornelli]

Don't worry.

[Chip Patterson]

Relationship is good. We looked in each other's eyes, but, yeah, they've got some details to be able to hammer out along the way. What did you make of alleged. Oh, God, if we're going to be this reckless. Did you hear the alleged audio from the meeting?

[Tom Fornelli]

I did hear a lot of it. I didn't listen to the whole thing.

[Chip Patterson]

I didn't listen to the whole, whole thing. No, absolutely not. I am more interested. I am less interested in the actual contents of the audio and more interested in how fans have reacted to it.

What I have seen, and I'm curious if you've seen this, too, is that if the audio was leaked with the intention of making him look horrible, I would think there's been a strange fan reaction that has circled around the athletic director from hearing the audio.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, like, if. If I'm a Michigan or an Oregon fan, I'm probably like, what the hell is this dude's deal? If I. If I'm a Penn State fan, I don't know what was in there that I'd be, like, super angry about.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, I don't know. It could. I mean, listen, it might. Allegedly. I don't know. Again, it probably doesn't even matter. It was just. This is like the fan sentiment about their athletic director changed. This could have been a fake. Pat Kraft could have taped that himself. He might be playing 4D chess. What if. What if athletic director Pat Kraft has wanted Matt Campbell all along? He just had to go through every single specific step here to be able to get to Matt Campbell. That might be the big brain. Look at the big brain on Pat.

[Tom Fornelli]

That got a big old brain.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, I thought that was funny.

Yeah. Yeah. I thought that was interesting that the. At first, you know, appeared as this. Like, oh, man, listen to how crazy this guy sounds. And this, again, alleged audio. And I listened to it. Not. It didn't move me much one way or the other. I thought it was distasteful for someone to be recording that meeting. Like, just as a matter of. As a matter of principle, and I am not an attorney, I can't speak to the legality. Let me say that my first and strongest reaction was, well, that was pretty crappy of somebody to do. But setting that aside, it was more seeing the. The fan reaction that if we thought that this coaching search was going to lead to a changeover in the athletic department, he might. The hire of Matt Campbell could. Could have greatly reversed things among other steps for this, the nitty Lions do have an absolute crater of a recruiting class. As we detailed through the week, they are also losing a ton of the players that had us declaring them the number two team in the country and a Big Ten favorite.

So Matt Campbell gets this thing across the finish line. What's he looking at in terms of getting Penn State back to Big Ten title contention?

[Tom Fornelli]

I. If I'm a Penn State fan, based on everything we lost and didn't get in recruiting, I mean, the transfer portal still hasn't quote, unquote opened yet. So there's still time you could salvage this and go get a bunch of players. But we've also seen in recent, like last year, the portal's not exactly full of five star blue blood types like you you saw when it was first starting. So if I'm being realistic as a Penn State fan, my hopes for next season aren't that high. Like, I'm not sitting there saying we're gonna, you're gonna make a bowl game, but I wouldn't sit there and think you're going to be competing for playoff spot next year. I think that would just be very unfair. Not to say you can't get there, but I'm thinking like 8 and 4 because like, they do have talent that's still there. Like the last few recruiting classes have still been pretty good. It's not like they're going to fall off the face, face of the earth. But your depth is going to be tested because you have no freshman incoming and you don't really know what you're going to be getting in the transfer portal and you're going to be replacing a lot, like you said, a lot of key players and a lot of key spots. So the floor is probably going to drop a little bit, but I would still just like, I'm a really big Matt Campbell guy. I would have plenty of faith in that guy. To get your program headed in the right direction in short order.

[Chip Patterson]

Let's go with the easiest talking point when it comes to this type of thing, the quarterback. We got to see Grunkemeyer, you know, Ethan Grundkemeyer at the end of the season. Would you rather go with Rocco Beckt and bring him in from Iowa State, or would you rather talk to Grunkenmeier, see if you can get him to stick around even though he wasn't the quarterback you recruited?

[Tom Fornelli]

I would try to get both. I mean, I, I think it would also depend on who Campbell brings in as his oc. Like, if they're running the same offense, why not bring the quarterback that already knows how to run it right, Rocco, and I will say Gruckermeyer, I thought he played pretty damn well down the stretch. Like it was a rough start for him getting thrown into that spot. But I thought that the more he played and the more comfortable they got with him, I thought he was doing well.

[Chip Patterson]

So I, I think the best defenses in the country for his first collegiate starts. Yeah, bananas.

[Tom Fornelli]

I know. So it's like if I, I wouldn't feel terrible if Gronker Meyer is my quarterback next year, but I, I would probably rather have Rocco just because I know he's familiar with the offense. Because I mean it is, it's not the same, but it's, it's a very pro style offense that Iowa State has run these last few years compared to what you might have been running lately at Penn State.

[Chip Patterson]

The.

You talk about the transfer portal not exactly brimming with, with five star talent right now or just sort of like. No, not right now, but obviously since it's not open. But in this era, you know, we talked about that the quality of the transfer portal is a little bit different now that players can sign these multi year deals when it comes to nil and, and sort of making their commitments to these teams. There also is this aspect and I, I might be unfair here because he's been at Iowa State and now he's going to be at Penn State, but the kind of highly rated talent in the transfer portal know like some of the like three schools in five years kind of guys. They don't read me as Matt Campbell guys.

[Tom Fornelli]

No.

[Chip Patterson]

Okay. Is that unfair either to players or to just. Yeah, I just, I see, I see Matt Campbell as getting. Not mercenaries. Not one and done. Not, not one and done. Going for the biggest paycheck kind of guys. The, the Matt Campbell culture probably is going to be developmental. You know, it's going to be trying to get a lot of good players in who are going to stay for a couple years and yeah, maybe you're right. The, the floor has changed a little bit, but you hope that it builds into a ceiling that can include, you know, the competing for championships.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, and I mean like I, I think that when he's at Penn State he will use the portal. I just don't think it's going to be like a situation where you see coaches going into the portal every year. I think they're going to use the portal to fill holes, get guys that they identify as fits for what they're doing and bring them in. They're not going to be like getting into bidding wars for five stars who are looking for another payday or, you know, even if it's not a five star, just a kid who's been going school to school. So, yeah, I, I think you're going to see high school recruiting development. It's not going to.

[Chip Patterson]

Be.

[Tom Fornelli]

Honest to God, you know, it's not going to be all that different than James Franklin's been doing it. It's just you're hoping for different results. Like you're hoping to win more of the quote, unquote big games. You're hoping to win the Big Ten, you're hoping to get to the playoff, you're hoping to win the national. And I think that that is still very much attainable. So it's like, that is the funniest thing about this entire process, is the way that the program looks. They might have a different style of offense, they might run a different style of defense. There's going to be different names. Your, your hat brims are going to be a whole hell of a lot curvier, but it's really not that different than what you had as far as a culture or an identity. It's very much about bringing in our guys and developing them.

[Chip Patterson]

Our friend Ty Hildebrandt is a Penn State fan, right?

[Tom Fornelli]

Yes, he is. And see Notre Dame too, right? He's just kind of like, that's weird. I don't know.

That's what you can't be.

[Chip Patterson]

I'm gonna give Ty Hildebrand solid verbal podcast. He, I think he said, man, if Matt Campbell attacks this job the way he attacks those hat brims, oh, man, it's gonna be great.

[Tom Fornelli]

I mean, I have not seen brims like Matt's since I was in college. Like, you'd go to the frat houses in. You saw those brims and Matt just. Matt loved that look and he's never let it go.

[Chip Patterson]

Listen, it's what works for him and it's what's gotten him here in this position. All right, coming up on the other side, more of our reaction to what it looks like for Penn State. Matt Campbell, the coaching carousel, and more next.

[Tom Fornelli]

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[Tom Fornelli]

The short and the tall. Peacemakers risk takers. For the optimists, pessimists for long distance love. For introverts and extroverts, the thinkers and the doers for old friends and new Coca Cola for everyone. Pick up some Coca Cola at a store near you.

[Chip Patterson]

Back here on the COVID 3 podcast again. Friday afternoon, widely agreed upon that we are finalizing the finalizing Matt Campbell to be the next Penn State head coach. So we figured it'd be fun to go live here with you on YouTube to discuss what we expect to be a deal that should be finalized soon. Brandon Marcelo says a deal is expected to be finalized soon.

[Tom Fornelli]

What does this imminent though, right?

[Chip Patterson]

We did not get an imminent. We did not get an imminent.

[Tom Fornelli]

Thank God.

[Chip Patterson]

All right, what do.

It'S tough to say Iowa. Do you have any, any read on what Iowa State would do in terms of a hire?

[Tom Fornelli]

I mean, my personal favorite for this one. No, no, no. My personal favorites, former line at quarterback and former Iowa State offensive quarter coordinator Nathan Shieldhouse, who is now the passing game coordinator with the Rams. I would love to see him get the opportunity to return to Ames and run that program. I would think that there are other coaches on that staff who you probably consider as possibilities to step up and get that job. Maybe it's Jason Candle. Maybe they go back to the Toledo.

[Chip Patterson]

Well, that's what I was thinking.

[Tom Fornelli]

But I also think, like Sean Lewis, I don't know if he would leave San Diego State for Iowa State and come back to the Midwest and kind of. I don't know, but I think Sean Lewis would be a great person to consider for that one. I think Matt Ends would be a good person to consider. I think there's a lot of guys you look around like the Midwest. Jason E. Would be a great guy, although I think he's going to stick at New Mexico after just signing that deal. I just. Yeah, I, I think this is, it's going to be an interesting deal to see how this job is viewed because again, like, Matt Campbell made this job look a lot easier than historically it has been. So how will it be viewed with the current financial cloud hanging over that athletic department? I don't know, but I think that it's a job where there's proven that you can succeed in recent years. They have a very strong fan base, like whether it's football or basketball. You will never go to an Iowa State game and find an mtc. It is generally packed to the gills. That fan base cares. There's always going to be investment from it. So I think that it's a good job. It's just not what anybody's going to look at as a great job. So I don't think you can really go and pull an established sitting P4 coach and have them come to Ames. But I think there's a lot of good candidates that you could go after and get them to come.

[Chip Patterson]

Jason Eck just signed a. Just signed an extension, right?

We haven't heard a Shawn Lewis extension yet.

[Tom Fornelli]

I don't know if Sean's got an extension yet. I haven't heard that. But Sean, if you do take the Iowa State gig, you could send me one of those helmets too.

[Chip Patterson]

This might be an interesting.

Interesting moment. I'm glad we, we couched this. Do you believe in, in Kalshee as a, as a dictator? As a way to be able to read. Okay.

[Tom Fornelli]

No, I do not believe in an unregulated market as a predictor of anything except for people just guessing. Okay, don't make me go on the. The Andy Johnson from. From the shotgun start data guys rant.

[Chip Patterson]

Oh, please. I haven't heard it yet.

[Tom Fornelli]

Oh, it's easy to be a data guy, Chip, because you're never wrong. If you say something's gonna happen, but it was wrong, you'd say, well, there's a 10 chance it wouldn't happen.

[Chip Patterson]

I mean, I just predict that's it is 100%. Not my expertise. But I saw a couple comments in the. In the tailgate saying that they said, what happened? The odds are tanking.

[Tom Fornelli]

So somebody's just. I mean, here's what happened. The odds went heavily in one direction because of the reports, so people just started putting money on the other direction because just in case. It'll pay out.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah. Fair.

[Tom Fornelli]

Why. Why did I take Troy +1500 as a moneyline sprinkle?

Yeah.

[Chip Patterson]

Because it could. Hey, listen, it would be hilarious.

[Tom Fornelli]

It would be hilarious. Oh, my God. It would be. I mean, it would be perfect just considering how this is all gone. Like we said at the top of the show.

[Chip Patterson]

All right, let's. This. If you've got any questions, feel free to throw them in the tailgate. Ryan says, what is success for Matt Campbell? That's a good question.

[Tom Fornelli]

Winning.

[Chip Patterson]

I think success for Matt Campbell is that he is playing in a Big Ten championship game within four or five years.

[Tom Fornelli]

I would say within five years, because again, I want to give him the extra year just because of the way that this. All this recruiting class, I want to give him a little more patience than you might give a coach typically. But whether he. Whether he gets to the Big Ten championship game or not, I think that, you know, getting into the college, it's the same as it would have been for James Franklin. Getting into the College Football Playoff with regularity, competing for the conference, beating Ohio State and Michigan and Oregon sometimes.

I mean, you're not going to beat him every year. It's just not how it works. But you have to be able to beat him once in a while. Especially when you come into a year like this where you went all in on your roster for that expressed purpose and then just things completely bottomed out on you. Okay. Also develop quarterbacks.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah.

[Tom Fornelli]

And receivers.

[Chip Patterson]

He has done a. Meaning multiple NFL wide receivers from. From. From Iowa State.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah. He had to go in the draft in, like, the first three rounds last year.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah.

See what, what is the expo. What are. What's Iowa State's record next year? What's Penn State's record next year?

[Tom Fornelli]

Penn State. I haven't looked at their schedule, but I'm just going to say 8 and 4 off the top of my head while looking up their 2026 schedule because it might be the easiest thing on earth. Who knows? Let's see, they are playing Marshall, Temple and Buffalo out of conference, although they're at Temple going to go three now with those three, their home Big Ten games are Minnesota, Purdue, Rutgers, USC and Wisconsin. So they get five home games. That's always a bonus. I'm going to say they win at least three of those, maybe four. So now we're up to what, six to seven wins. The road games are Maryland, Michigan, at Northwestern, at Washington. They're going to win two of those. So yeah, they're going to be 9 and 3 or 8 and 4.

[Chip Patterson]

What about for Iowa State?

[Tom Fornelli]

Iowa State? Well, we don't know who their coach is yet. We don't know who their quarterback is yet.

[Chip Patterson]

The question from the tailgate was what would what are going to be? Penn State and Iowa State's records out of conference.

[Tom Fornelli]

They've got Southeast Missouri going to give them that win one and oh, at.

[Chip Patterson]

Iowa, take the under. I don't care if Matt Campbell's gone, we're still going to take the under in the Iowa State FCS game at Iowa.

[Tom Fornelli]

I'm going to give that one to the Hawkeyes right now. Bowling Green at home. So we're two and one heading into conference play home games. Utah, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Cincinnati, West Virginia. Again, we're getting five home games. You always love to see that. How confident are you on them beating all of those teams? I'm gonna give them Oklahoma State. I'm gonna give them.

Kansas State, Cincinnati. Okay, so we're up to four, up to five wins. Road at Arizona, at Baylor, Yucf. And I'm gonna say they're seven and five.

[Chip Patterson]

Seven and five, eight and four. That would be a good, good landing spot for both of those. Anything else on the any other dominoes you're looking for on the coaching carousel? Does this feel like. I mean, I'm not going to say it because I know I said it.

[Tom Fornelli]

And then it's the thing I don't. The NFL has not started its cycle yet, Chip, so a big job could still open.

If I'm lsu. No, I'm just kidding.

I have, I've getting Elaine Kiffin tattoo just yet.

[Chip Patterson]

I have Tanked my timeline because of these coaching searches.

Among them getting. Getting fed the Lane Kiffet. This is a great. You want to hear a great rumor? Journalistic integrity.

[Tom Fornelli]

Hell yes, I do.

[Chip Patterson]

Message board. Our friends, message board geniuses pointed this one out. There's a. There's a message board post that, that Lane Kiffin's trying out different hot yoga studios, but he can't find one that he likes. And.

And, and I think it's frustrating him. I want. Do you. Do you think LSU would build him one?

[Tom Fornelli]

Yes, I do think he'll go.

[Chip Patterson]

He'll go take the Titans job just because they've got better hot yoga studios in Nashville.

[Tom Fornelli]

I guarantee you they have better hot yoga studios in Nashville.

I think he could. Yeah. I don't think we can rule it out. I think that, you know, in fact, we should report it. Now Lane Kiffin is finalizing a deal with the Tennessee Titans. There's just a few steps left to go. One includes talking to them. Two includes to take the job, and then three, compensation.

[Chip Patterson]

What about the. I, I just saw this in the tailgate. I have not seen. What are the Levar Arrington comments? Did you see those?

[Tom Fornelli]

No.

[Chip Patterson]

No.

[Tom Fornelli]

I'm gonna guess he's thinks it should have been Terry Smith.

[Chip Patterson]

If you're Terry Smith, do you stay on staff if Matt Campbell offers it?

[Tom Fornelli]

Maybe. I think he's probably gonna end up at Virginia Tech.

I mean, I think most of the Penn State staffers who are there now probably end up at Virginia Tech.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah. Okay.

[Tom Fornelli]

So as long as you're asking what hot yoga is. Hot yoga is yoga in a very hot room. Yeah, that's exactly what it sounds like.

[Chip Patterson]

With the thermostat pulled up. Yeah. Very interesting times ahead in State College. Again, to reiterate our comments, off the top, this Matt Campbell as a candidate was something that Tom Fornelli offered literally within 13 minutes of James Franklin being officially fired.

And now you've wound up with him. It's been a wild, wild ride through this coaching search to get there. A 54 day coaching search. But it does look like again, they are very close to finalizing the deal. Expected to see some kind of resolution. We are expecting. Just honestly, Tom and I are expecting. We were expecting some kind of resolution about an hour and a half ago. So we'll, we'll be sure to keep our eyes peeled for everything on the Penn State front. Again, let me echo Tom here. I think it's a good hire. I have no idea if it will work out, but for Matt Campbell, as Matt Campbell, I think it's an awesome opportunity, you know, and the timing of it, while it's not great, that while the program you were taking over ain't exactly running hot with a loaded roster, you are at least getting into the Big Ten at a time when. When things are continue to be more and more difficult in the Big 12. For Isaac, our friend in the chat, Isaac Terry, he, when I, when I just offered questions, he said, when will the suffering end?

It's kind of human existence, my friend. You better learn to grow from it and find, find yourself a head coach. So we are excited to bring you so much more Danny Canal. I mean, you're never going to believe this Tailgate. Danny Canal said he might drop by. I'm probably about to wrap this up here in just a second. Which means that Danny Canal is going to show up five minutes later, right?

[Tom Fornelli]

Yes. Yeah, he's on set right now in hq.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, he's on set right now in Indianapolis.

[Tom Fornelli]

Talk about some game tomorrow. Did you know that they still play games?

[Chip Patterson]

Hey, you know what? Let's go ahead and throw this. Let's read this into the record. I'm with you on Iowa being the tell.

Oh, I haven't heard anybody else say this, but I got, I got asked a couple times today and I've flipped my tune. I'm like, no, you guys are thinking about this all wrong. Duke can absolutely jump ahead of James Madison with a win against Virginia. Like, no matter the margin here on Friday night in Harrisonburg.

[Tom Fornelli]

Yeah, I was just doing that thing that we're prone to do in this job when this is such a huge topic of conversation. I was just looking at those rankings and it kind of dawned on me that Iowa, four losses is two spots ahead of James Madison.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah. Iowa with eight and four record is ahead of James Madison with 11 and.

[Tom Fornelli]

One with four great losses. But not a really, really good win. No. So it suddenly real dawned on me that it became a lot more realistic that if Duke picks up a win over a 10 and 2 Virginia, they might leap them past James Madison.

[Chip Patterson]

They would have. They would have seven power four wins. James Madison has zero power four wins. Duke would have a win against a ranked team. James Madison has zero wins against a ranked teams.

[Tom Fornelli]

Feel bad for Iowa State fans and that we're doing a show talking about they're losing their coach that they adore, and we're finishing it by talking about Iowa being ranked.

[Chip Patterson]

Yeah, but not being ranked anywhere, that changes anything still. And so we'll see again, as I said earlier today, Because I know all of y' all are just, you love us so much, you keep it glued to CBS Sports HQ and CBS Sports Network. The, the selection committee has been just a truly Olympic level flexible here. So you always have to understand that their skills to be able to, you know, twist this around and change it is always, always means you never know. Always got to keep, keep coming back. But I'm with you. I, I did not see a path before and now I'm back to thinking that there might be a path. So we'll see. We'll see. It all starts on Friday night again. James Madison will be playing Troy in Harrisonburg. Then, of course, if you want to go and check out Jacksonville State hosting Kennesaw State on CBS Sports Network. Jordan, Jordan Giorgio on the sideline for that, as we mentioned before. Do you know what I heard? According to sources, we're, we're going to get, we're getting Jordan Giorgio doing the trophy ceremony.

[Tom Fornelli]

Oh, is Jordan handing out the trophy?

[Chip Patterson]

I think so. That's that. I, I said don't drop it. You know, good luck out there. Okay. I think it's going to be awesome. So check out Jacksonville State and Western, no, excuse me, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State over on CBS Sports Network. Then in the 8 o' clock window, you've got Boise State and UNLV in the Mountain west championship game as well as North Texas and a two lane in the American Athletic Conference championship game. So lots of action. It's our last big weekend of football. Wrap your arms around it. And Penn State fans, Congrats from the COVID 3 podcast. This is probably where you should have been all along, but that's where it is again. Reports across the globe that we are finalizing.

A deal with Iowa State's Matt Campbell.

[Tom Fornelli]

If not, we are circling a contract.

[Chip Patterson]

We are circling, we are making photocopies of this contract right now. If anything changes, we'll be sure to circle back here on the COVID 3 podcast. But if not, join us on Saturday night, 11:30pm Eastern Time, where we will be giving you our instant reaction to all the championship week action. And you can follow him on Twitter at Time for Nell. You can follow me at chip Underscore Patterson. Tom, thank you very much.

[Tom Fornelli]

Thank you.

[Chip Patterson]

Your fantasy season doesn't end after your draft. The Fantasy Football Today podcast is going to get you through the season and to a championship. Fantasy Football Today, part of CBS Sports Podcast Network has episodes every single day. Waiver wire, trade talk, starter sit, mailbags and more. If you want to win your league, you need to listen to fantasy football today. Download and follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and anywhere podcasts are found.