Matt Campbell to Become Next Penn State Head Coach in 8 Year Deal.

Celebrate, Penn State Nation! The Nittany Lions finally landed their head coach a long and exhausting search. Campbell arrives in Happy Valley from Iowa State, where he became the winningest coach in school history with 72 victories, eight winning seasons, three Big 12 Coach of the Year awards, and a Fiesta Bowl win over Oregon. Campbell took a struggling Iowa State program and turned them into a consistent Big 12 power.

.

Peter Fitzpatrick/Action Plus/Icon Sportswire

Campbell also arrives as a product of the legendary Mount Union coaching tree, built under iconic Division III coach Larry Kehres, who owns the highest winning percentage in the history of college football. Kehres’ tree has also produced Eagles Super Bowl champion head coach Nick Sirianni.

Sirianni and Campbell weren’t just teammates, they were roommates at Mount Union, learning what it takes to build great programs. Now, more than 20 years later, those two former roommates coach two of the most storied football teams in Pennsylvania, just 100 miles apart.

Campbell arrives at Penn State with an 8-year deal worth $70.5 million guaranteed, plus 55 hours of annual private jet access and two University-provided vehicles, underscoring how committed Penn State is to giving him the keys to the future of the program.

And for all the Terry Smith loyalists, myself included, Penn State didn’t let the heart of the program in the post-Franklin era walk. The university agreed to make Terry the highest-paid non-coordinator in all of college football, signing him to a lucrative 4-year deal to remain on staff. Few coaches in America mean more to a school than Terry Smith means to Penn State, and his pay day is well deserved. Something tells me we’re going to need the floats in the not-too-distant future once Campbell gets this machine rolling! Prepare the Floats™!