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By Jordan Sigler
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On Monday, Penn State named Matt Campbell its 17th head coach.
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The Nittany Lions national coaching search took numerous twists and turns after the program fired James Franklin on Oct. 12 after starting the season with a 3-3 record.
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While the early firing appeared at the time to aid PSU in finding its next coach, the real help came when Virginia Tech hired James Franklin on Nov. 17, softening $40 million of the buyout owed to the former head coach.
Amid a nearly three-month coaching search, PSU was linked to several coaches like Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman, Nebraska's Matt Rhule, and Indiana's Curt Cignetti. While the Nittany Lions were unable to land one of those elite coaches, their efforts were the cause in coaches around the country earning nearly $370 million in contract extensions this season.
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Per Ralph D. Russo of The Athletic, Campbell, Freeman, and Texas A&M's Mike Elko were the top three coaches on athletic director Patrick Kraft's list when he started his search. Kraft was given several warnings during an intel-gathering.
There was a fear that Campbell, who does not have an agent, would be hard to deal with. There was also a concern that Campbell would be out of his depth recruiting for an elite Big Ten program. Campbell only added 15 players via the transfer portal in the last two years.
After BYU's Kalani Sitake signed an extension with the Cougars before the Big 12 Championship Game, PSU zeroed in on Campbell, who was ultimately receptive to taking the job in State College.
The recruiting warning is a legitimate fear for Penn State, especially after the early signing period. Franklin took a lot of recruits with him to Blacksburg. Per 247 Sports, VT is ranked 24th for the class of 2026. PSU is ranked 156th, with only two players signed.
For the Nittany Lions to be successful in the near future, Campbell will need to be aggressive in the transfer portal, something he has little experience with.
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