Matt Campbell's move to Penn State encouraged by ex-Ohio State coach

Penn State football is ready to usher in a new era under new head coach Matt Campbell. With a full spring now behind him, Campbell is gearing up for a highly anticipated first season in Happy Valley. While the national championship expectations may not be burdened on Penn State in 2026, there is a bit of a breath of fresh air around a program looking to reestablish its identity a bit in a state of transition. It is equal parts exciting to watch a storied program reassert itself under new leadership and intriguing to see if a new coach is really the difference in getting this Penn State team to take that elusive next step towards chasing a national title.

Of course, this move for Matt Campbell was not an easy one to make. The long-time successful head coach of Iowa State was not looking to leave Ames, Iowa after the 2025 season. But the timing of the job opportunity coming along when it did proved to be too much to pass up. But it did need a little advice from a somewhat unlikely source, former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel.

In a story posted by ESPN, detailing Campbell's work in getting settled in at Penn State, Campbell reached out to Tressel after being approached about the Penn State job offer. And whatever Tressel said appeared to help do the trick.

From the ESPN story;

Before making his decision, Campbell called former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, a mentor who vouched for Penn State president Neeli Bendapudi -- a former Ohio State professor -- and encouraged him to consider the job.

By Friday, Campbell had decided to take it.

It is also noted that Campbell had previously agreed to be the head coach of the Detroit Lions in 2021 before backing out of that decision to remain at Iowa State. Campbell has also turned down multiple coaching offers over the years from schools such as USC and . So why was the time right to make a move for Campbell?