Iowa State HC Matt Campbell Receives Strong Ranking from ESPN

With the 2025 college football season on the horizon, fans and media outlets are starting to build their expectations for the upcoming season. One topic commonly discussed during this time is coaching ratings, which Iowa State Cyclones' head coach Matt Campbell has finally gained recognition by the national media.

In a recent article from ESPN, a collective group of their beat writers were asked to rank their top ten coaches. Coaches received points based on where they ranked, and the total amount of points decided which coaches crack the top ten. For Campbell, the group had him as the No. 10 coach with 15 total points.

ESPN writer David Hale gave the highest rating to Campbell, ranking him as the fourth-best coach in college football due to him turning the program around while producing multiple NFL draftees.

"From 1979 through Campbell's hire in 2016, Iowa State won three bowls, had 11 players taken in the first four rounds of the NFL draft and had one nine-win season," said Hale. "In his nine years on the job, he has won three bowls, had 12 players drafted in the first four rounds and had two nine-win seasons, including an 11-3 mark last year."

Campbell continued his successful run in 2024, as he led the Cyclones to an 11-3 record with wins over Iowa, Kansas State, and Miami in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. In addition to the team's strong season, Campbell also had three players selected on Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft in Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel and Darien Porter. Offensive tackle Jalen Travis was also selected in round four, making a total of four players drafted.

Looking ahead to the 2025 college football season, Campbell will have another tough schedule, which includes Colorado on the road and Arizona State at home.

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