Iowa State has produced some really good NFL talent the past few years. How many Brock Purdys has PSU produced over the past decades? Folks on this board acting like Campbell has been here three years already and has had multiple recruiting classes come through. He hasn't had one yet. Good grief.
Did anybody think Matt Campbell could turn us into Iowa State football this quickly?
- Thread starter StickEm
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To answer the original question: Yes. Did I think it likely, no. I get the Kraft bashing. Before I join in, I'd just like to know what his interest in Manny Diaz (and vice versa) was, and if there was none - then why? Looking back, he was the best choice imo. Maybe he'll come back some day.
A great deal is known about what happened between the end of 2024 and the beginning of 25. The whole story will be known once Kraft is gone. He has toadies that fed the crumbs to the fanbase. The reality is that PSU is stuck with a 750 million dollar stadium renovation, with a vast percentage of that not attributed to safety or to enhance the average fan experience, but instead to the luxury box corporate elite.
The fund raising could have gone where it was most needed ... the roster.
Posts absolutely prove it to be true. I’ve been reading them for 12 years.
Stop blaming Campbell for things that were set in motion long before he got here.
Yes, I did. You lost an entire recruiting class plus those that left from the roster to follow Franklin and when you get rid of a successful head coach, you set your program back years. Oh but Cignetti in Indiana turned them into a power in one year. Yeah, football geniuses, like that happens ALL THE TIME. FRICKIN IDIOTS.
Then all those Iowas State players followed Campbell to Penn State showing loyalty to him. He, of course, feels that he needs to show loyalty back to them. So they get to start over more talented athletes on Penn State's roster. If they were talented they wouldn't have gone to Iowa State but to a Big Ten or SEC school. Thus, Penn State became Iowa State East.
Enjoy mediocrity for years. You wanted this Penn State football geniuses.
Then all those Iowas State players followed Campbell to Penn State showing loyalty to him. He, of course, feels that he needs to show loyalty back to them. So they get to start over more talented athletes on Penn State's roster. If they were talented they wouldn't have gone to Iowa State but to a Big Ten or SEC school. Thus, Penn State became Iowa State East.
Enjoy mediocrity for years. You wanted this Penn State football geniuses.
How any sane person can blame all of this on MC at this point is bordering on something other than common sense and I might think has unmentioned agendas.
Do you really want to compare the NFL roster spots ISU occupies as compared to PSU players?
Stop! PSU 36 Iowa State 14.
Colleges with the most players on 2026 NFL rosters | NCAA.com
Rocco Becht being the QB was set in motion years ago, we just didn’t know it.
I think merging cultures, relationships (staff and player), and team can be difficult with uncertain outcomes.
Unfortunately, a number of other teams, have handled it better, which increases expectations...those same teams didn't have the same level of veteran and recruit exit as Penn State.
Besides play calling or mid-game adjustment, I think some of Campbell's expectation, and the recent failures, was based on the pre-injury performance of some of his players'. Becht and Ebel come to mind.
I do appreciate them throwing deep, and the WRs beating the D or getting open deep quite often more often than the recent past.
Becht is missing deep balls, getting passes batted down at the line, and prematurely leaving the pocket more than I hoped, and especially for any QB we can consistently win with.
Ebel's tackling will continue to be tested in the BIG.
Football is a game of adjustment, for individual players, coached (play calling, adjustment, recruiting, and staff management-both hiring and firing).
I'm not happy to see where we are, but it was probably always going to be a 2-3 yr journey for the trend to emerge. The last 2 games may be either an outlier or consistent with that trend.
At the same time, while it was easy to be comfortable with the we're close perception under Franklin, I feel without some luck (getting into the Big championship game and the playoff match ups in 2024), the team would remain at or beyond the doorstep of a national championship.
It seemed Kraft was going after big fish, but I don't remember hearing Diaz's name.
I would have been very happy to have him, especially regarding his impact on our D. I liked how he handled himself on the sidelines and talking to the media. I was able to see a pres-season show with him on an ACC channel from my Roku stick.
I don’t get this perception you talk about. We went 11-1 in regular season. It wasn’t luck that got us to the playoffs. We still had to handle business in regular season to get to that point. I feel as a program we need to be consistent in wins and we were doing that with Franklin and that was while he had to fight for resources. When’s the last time OSU has won less than 10 or 11 games in a season? It still took them 10 years in between national championships. All I’m saying is Franklin gave us consistency. I’d take that over whatever we are seeing now. I feel we just took a thousand steps backward by firing Franklin the way they did.
My bad on thinking incorrectly we lost twice to Oregon that year-didn't play them in the regular season.
I do stand by my feeling luck (not playing them, Michigan, and Indiana) in the regular season set us up for a one-loss in regular season, and a number of things happening to get us into the conference championship...aside from the playoff, where was a win against a quality or competitive team?
We did play well in the playoffs, other than the second half with Notre Dame, although I don't think SMU and Boise would rate in the upper 50 percentile of quality teams in the BCS era,
With Notre Dame, we failed to adjust on defense, where we were dominating in the first half, and FAILED to complete A SINGLE pass to a WR (has this ever happened in BCS history?).
For those reasons and others, I felt expectations for 2025 were inflated...there was no Warren at TE, the top WRs (who disappeared during the playoffs) left, and I think there was a delayed effect of coach Diaz leaving from the defense-I am still not sure what the 2026 coach was trying to do-I can't nor do want to remember his name.
Do you remember the 2 years prior to the consistent 3 years?
64-36 in the Big Ten isn't great
Just 30-18 his final 5+ seasons--now compare that to Day
If he was winning like Day he'd still be here--also, Ohio State may have fired Day had he not won the title that year
Hell, Franklin almost lost as many games last year in conference play as Day has in his career--and he only coached in 3 of them or he would have
So are they not quality wins just because we are favored in those games? That’s where I dont think we are giving enough credit to Franklin. I’d say that USC game was a quality road win. I agree with you, I’m blown away we didn’t win that Notre Dame game. We were dominating despite not having wide receivers. I also agree that expectations were over inflated. I think media saw that we were bringing back players and automatically thought national championship or bust. I’m not sure what defense coordinator you are referring to - Jim Knowles? He was the 2025 coordinator. Tom Allen was the 2024 coordinator.
The majority here panicked at the mention of his name,but it earned him a nice raise.Hire Rhule
Nebraska just didn't want to go through another coaching change.
Past 10 years average recruiting class rank: Penn State 14, Iowa State 51. That tells me Iowa State got more from their talent.
There’s one recruit on this team. Campbell hasn’t had a recruiting class yet.
And your duty as a diligent unbiased fan is to pledge your undying love for CMC for the next 12 years, shoving it down our throats at every opportunity. Just as you did for your last idol. Hopefully he will show equal or greater talent than James in that quality you consider the most important in a coach - the ability to screw money out of people. Right?
Ten more years!!!
He's doing an excellent job so far.
PS you deserve 10 more years of this.
Except the 24 players he brought with him. Hes gotta recruit better talent than he has in past as big 10 is different animal
You don't deserve to be a Penn State fan. Actually, you never were. You are a 73 year old petulant child who can't stop screaming for attention. Pound sand and do everyone a favor. Christ even Bobby Daman hates you and he basically never stops admiring himself on here.
Ouch that really hurts. I so hoped to make friends with all the nice people here. Is there a committee that decides who deserves to be a Penn State fan? I'd like to appeal.You don't deserve to be a Penn State fan. Actually, you never were. You are a 73 year old petulant child who can't stop screaming for attention. Pound sand and do everyone a favor. Christ even Bobby Daman hates you and he basically never stops admiring himself on here.
Performing in favored game can be considered 'quality'...distinguishing might be a better word which such wins may not be IMO.
With any of a few possible changes, including better play by the LB Ebel or his replacement, more/better safety play, same for the OL and RB with respect to the run game, red zone strategy, last night could have been a win.
I was referring to Knowles. I haven't dissected Allen's strategy or performance, but have a gut feel he pretty much continued with Diaz's strategy with many of the key players-wasn't Abdul Carter still there in 2024?
Ouch that really hurts. I so hoped to make friends with all the nice people here. Is there a committee that decides who deserves to be a Penn State fan? I'd like to appeal.
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