It is weird to think about now, but for a long time, Ames was where coaching careers went to die. You know the history. For decades, Iowa State was the "tough job" in the Big 12—the place where you fought for six wins and a trip to the Insight.com Bowl like it was the Super Bowl. Then Matt Campbell showed up.
Honestly, the way people talk about iowa state football matt campbell usually misses the point. They look at the 72-55 record and think "decent." They see the 2020 Fiesta Bowl trophy and think "good season." But if you actually followed the program over the last decade, you know it wasn't just about winning games. It was a total identity shift.
Campbell didn't just win; he broke the "Iowa State is just Iowa State" ceiling.
Why Matt Campbell basically rewrote the record books
Before 2016, Iowa State hadn't had a winning conference season in 20 years. Think about that. An entire generation of fans grew up never seeing their team finish above .500 in league play. Campbell didn't just fix that; he produced eight winning conference seasons in ten years.
The 2024 season was the peak. 11 wins. That had literally never happened in 133 years of Cyclone football history. They went 11-3, played for a Big 12 title, and beat Miami in the Pop-Tarts Bowl (yes, the one where they ate the mascot).
He left for Penn State in December 2025 as the winningest coach in program history. He passed Dan McCarney's 56 wins and just kept going.
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But here’s the thing people forget: he did it with the "three-star and a dream" model. He wasn't out-recruiting Texas or Oklahoma for five-star blue-chippers. He was finding guys like Breece Hall and David Montgomery—players other people overlooked—and turning them into NFL starters.
The culture of "Doing More with Less"
You've probably heard the buzzwords. "Process." "The Standard." "Five-star men."
It sounds like typical coach-speak, but at Iowa State, it actually meant something. Campbell’s philosophy was built on the idea that you’d rather lose with guys you trust than win with guys who don't care about the program. He famously said he’d rather hire a staff he could lose with first, just to ensure the character was there.
That’s why the 2022 season was so fascinating. Most coaches would have panicked after going 4-8. Instead, Campbell doubled down. He didn't fire everyone and hit the panic button on the portal. He trusted the foundation, and by 2023, they were back in a bowl game. By 2024, they were a Top 10 team.
- Ranked wins: Under Campbell, ISU owned 45% of the school's all-time wins over ranked teams.
- Consistency: Five straight winning seasons from 2017-2021.
- Defense: His teams led the Big 12 in scoring defense in seven of his final nine years.
It’s rare to see that kind of defensive dominance in a league known for track meets. Jon Heacock, his defensive coordinator, became a legend in Ames for the "three-safety" look that basically every other college team eventually copied to stop the spread.
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The Penn State move and the 2026 fallout
When Campbell finally left for Penn State after the 2025 season, it felt like the end of an era—mostly because it was. He’d turned down the NFL and "bigger" college jobs for years. Most people thought he might never leave.
But Penn State represents a different beast.
The 2026 roster in Ames looks... different. As of January 2026, the transfer portal has been a bit of a circus. Over 20 former Iowa State players followed Campbell to Happy Valley, including quarterback Rocco Becht. It’s a tough pill for Cyclone fans to swallow.
You go from the high of an 11-win season in 2024 and an 8-4 finish in 2025 to wondering if the "culture" can survive the person who built it.
What actually happens next for Iowa State?
The reality of iowa state football matt campbell is that he left the place better than he found it. That’s the ultimate goal, right? The facilities are lightyears ahead of where they were. The fan base expects to win now—Jack Trice Stadium averaged over 60,000 fans in 2024.
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The "Iowa State way" isn't just about Campbell anymore. It’s about the infrastructure he left behind.
If you are a fan or an observer of the program, here is the roadmap for the post-Campbell era:
- Watch the "bridge" recruits: Look at the juniors and seniors who stayed. Guys like Benjamin Brahmer and Jamison Patton are the ones who have to carry the locker room culture.
- Monitor the coaching transition: The biggest risk isn't losing talent; it's losing the developmental identity. Iowa State cannot win by trying to be Alabama. They win by being the "best version of themselves."
- The Portal vs. High School: Keep an eye on if the new staff sticks to Campbell's "recruit high school and develop" model or if they pivot to a portal-heavy strategy to fill the 2026 gaps.
Matt Campbell proved you can win in Ames. He proved that Iowa State can be a national brand. Now, the program has to prove it wasn't just a one-man show.
The 2026 season will be the most telling year in the history of the program. It’s the difference between being a "flash in the pan" or a sustained Big 12 power.
Actionable Insight: If you’re tracking the future of the program, prioritize following the retention of the 2024/2025 defensive staff. While Campbell was the face, the defensive consistency under the 3-3-5 system was the actual engine of their success. Ensuring that tactical identity remains will be more important than any single transfer portal addition in 2026.