After 54 days, Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft finally found his man and made Iowa State’s Matt Campbell the next football coach.

It brings a cap in a wild eight weeks around State College, and there was no shortage of reactions on social media and television on Friday.

Here are some of the reactions, which were almost universally positive from notable names throughout the college football world.

Former Nittany Lion great Allen Robinson on X: “I’m excited for the future of Penn State!”

ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit on the Pat McAfee Show on Friday afternoon: “Nothing against Iowa, but I’d love to see Matt Campbell in State College. If they close this hire, that would be as good of a hire in this very volatile coaching carousel. That would be as good a hire I think has been made.

“I was under the assumption that he was untouchable. I know Penn State can pay whatever that is they need to pay, but I kind of thought five years ago when he built Iowa State up, I thought somebody would come in and swoop him up.

McAfee on his show: “I think this is a great hire for Penn State at this stage of the game. Matt Campbell feels like a winning hire.”

ESPN NFL analyst Peter Schrager on X: “If you told me 50 days ago that Penn State was going to end up with Matt Campbell, I would have told you that’s a huge home run. Campbell has been asked to consider NFL jobs for a decade and hasn’t left.”

On3 Sports’ Ari Wasserman: “Matt Campbell is a really good hire. And boy did he bail out Penn State from what was looking like an absolute disaster.”

Fox Sports’ Chris Fallica: “Love this hire for Penn State. Campbell had Iowa State one game from the CFP twice in the last five years. He’s been viewed as a top candidate in a lot of places because of what he’s done in Ames. Can’t imagine he won’t be highly successful with the resources at Penn State.”

Campbell’s record

Toledo

2011 1-0

2012 9-4

2013 7-5

2014 9-4

2015 9-2

Total 35-15

Iowa State

2016 3-9

2017 8-5

2018 8-5

2019 7-6

2020 9-3

2021 7-6

2022 4-8

2023 7-6

2024 11-3

2025 8-4

Total 72-55

Overall total 107-70

AD Pat Kraft comments on the hiring of Matt Campbell

– “I’m thrilled to share with the Penn State community that we have reached an agreement with Matt Campbell to have him serve as the 17th head football coach at Penn State. We look forward to officially welcoming Coach Campbell and his family to Penn State on Monday pending the approval of terms by the Board of Trustees’ Equity and Human Resources Committee consistent with the bylaws, which require advance notice of meetings.

– “I want to express my deepest gratitude to Coach Terry Smith for stepping up when we needed him the most and for rallying our team to finish this season with three straight wins. Coach Smith bleeds blue and white and pours his entire heart and soul into Penn State football. I’m deeply grateful for his commitment to our University, and I am excited that he will continue to be a part of this program.”

– “Coach Campbell is, without a doubt, the right leader at the right time for Penn State Football. He is a stellar coach with a proven track record of success and his values, character and approach to leading student-athletes to success on and off the field align perfectly with the traditions and values of Penn State.”

– “As we start this exciting next chapter for our football program with Coach Campbell at the helm, the future is bright. We will continue to build upon and elevate the high standard that is the hallmark of our program.”