Make your friends jealous with your very own Matt Campbell autographed football!
Iowa State University named Campbell its head coach on November 29, 2015, his 36th birthday, replacing the fired Paul Rhoads. Campbell signed a six-year, $22.5 million extension with the school on November 27, 2017. Campbell was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year twice. In his second year, Campbell led Iowa State to an 8-5 season that included wins against #3 Oklahoma and #4 TCU. Iowa State won their bowl game that year against the Memphis Tigers in the Liberty Bowl. During his third year at Iowa State, he led the Cyclones to a second 8-5 season. This included a 6-3 record in Big 12 play, their most conference wins in history.
In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Campbell led the Cyclones to their best season in decades. The Cyclones finished in first place in the Big 12, their first regular-season first-place finish of any sort in 119 years. However, they lost the Big 12 title game to Oklahoma. They were selected for the 2021 Fiesta Bowl, the first major-bowl appearance in school history, and defeated Oregon 34-17. They finished ninth in both major polls, the highest final ranking in school history.
On February 8, 2021, Iowa State announced a new contract extension for Campbell through the 2028 season.