The war is finally over for Penn State as they have landed their big new head coach, Matt Campbell. Many in State College were unimpressed, preferring hometown interim head coach Terry Smith, who understands the Happy Valley football picture. According to football insiders, it was always the plan, and Terry never stood a chance of becoming the permanent HC.

College football insider Matt Fortuna hopped onto X and spilled the news: “SOURCES: Penn State is committing roughly $30 million in NIL money and $17 million in staff pool (assistant coaches, support staff, etc.) to Matt Campbell.”

To be honest, that is a substantial amount of money for an NIL roster. Top programs around college football have 20–25 million in NIL roster money. 30 million can literally help them compete with the likes of Texas Tech and Texas Longhorns.

With $17 million, the program would attract the best staff available in the market. Maybe that explains why Matt Campbell took the job with a reasonable salary.

The former Iowa State HC signed an eight-year contract, $5 million per season, on Friday to take over the Nittany Lions football program. It also comes with a $2 million buyout if he leaves for another Power Four job.

“It’s not uncommon for the players, fans, and alumni to want the interim promoted,” stated Mike J Asti, as it was their plan all along. “But Penn State clearly didn’t want to give the permanent job to Terry Smith.

They did everything possible to avoid giving it to him. To be fair, Penn State shouldn’t have to promote the interim. They should be able to go steal an established college head coach.”

It’s a classic sports story: the interim coach takes over a sinking ship, turns things around, and suddenly everyone, from the players to the alumni, is screaming, “Give him the job!” That was Terry Smith at Penn State in 2025. He stepped in after James Franklin got the boot and salvaged the season, going 3-3 and even getting the Nittany Lions into a bowl game.

He was the feel-good story everyone wanted to see stick around and make a push for another year or two. However, it’s a well-known fact that universities are businesses, and athletic directors are typically seeking a home run hire, not a feel-good story. It was evident from the get-go that Penn State clearly wanted a big fish.

They had no intention of just settling for the guy already in the building, no matter how much the players loved him or how well he finished the season. They wanted someone with a proven head-coaching resume at the Power Four level. Fair enough, they have every right to go after the best talent they can find.

So, they went out and swiped Matt Campbell from Iowa State.

Matt Campbell hire: All business, nothing personal

Matt Campbell is a program-builder, proven again and again. The man basically worked miracles at Iowa State. In his 10 seasons at Iowa State, he became the school’s all-time wins leader with a 72-55 overall record. Last season, he became their winningest coach ever and even led them to their first 11-win season.

Before that, he went 35-15 at Toledo. His total career head-coaching record is an impressive 107-70. He’s a three-time Big 12 Coach of the Year and a one-time MAC Coach of the Year.

Although his resources are shrinking, he’s still managing to secure 8-10 wins each season. Now, with $47 million available, Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft knew precisely who he wanted to hire.

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The decision wasn’t a shot at Terry Smith’s hard work by any means. He’s already attracting some interest from the G5 schools. It was a business move by Penn State to get a proven coach they believe can compete for a national title right away, maybe even next season.