Report: Matt Campell accepted Detroit Lions job after 2020 season before changing his mind

A new era of Penn State football is set to kick off in just a few short months, with the coaching change from James Franklin to Matt Campbell. While Nittany Lion fans might be buzzing with excitement to see what Campbell can do with their program, there is an alternate timeline where this situation does not even exist.

During his 10 years at Iowa State, Campbell was pursued for multiple job openings, both at the college and the NFL level. Before the 2021 season, following a nine-win season for the Cyclones that ended in a Fiesta Bowl win, Campbell reportedly had one foot out the door. According to ESPN, Campbell accepted the Detroit Lions job at the time, before changing his mind and returning to Iowa State for five more seasons.

At the time, the Lions were off a miserable three-year Matt Patrica stint. Patricia was 9-22 through two seasons and 4-7 through the first 11 games of his third season before he was fired by the franchise. After Campbell backed out of the job, Detroit hired Dan Campbell, who is still with the team today.

Matt Campbell’s return set up opportunity at Penn State

Not many coaches would choose to turn down an NFL coaching gig, especially at the young age that Matt Campbell was at the time. But choosing to come back to Iowa State led to him getting a shot with one of college football’s premier programs.

The Cyclones went 37-27 over the next five seasons under Matt Campbell, including a run to the Big 12 Championship game in 2024. Matt Campbell looked like an Iowa State lifer after turning down multiple opportunities to move on, but Penn State was too good to pass up. And due to that loyalty, ESPN reports that there were no hard feelings when Matt Campbell decided to head off to Happy Valley.

“He stayed in his office and waited to talk to every single person in that program,” former Iowa State and new Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht said, per ESPN. “That spoke to who that guy is. It was awesome, especially for the players who were walk-ons or guys who didn’t play as much.”