Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541276
2 6 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M On The Radar Matt Campbell Iowa State head coach 2025 salary: $5 million Fitz's take: There hasn't been a lot of actual news connecting Campbell to the Penn State search. It's still probably too early to write him off, because he's a good coach at a program that doesn't get the kind of attention that PSU does, but there's not a lot of momentum behind him just yet. Campbell's Cyclones moved to 6-4 this year with a 20-17 victory over host TCU on Nov. 8. Manny Diaz Duke head coach 2025 salary: $4 million (unofficial) Fitz's take: Diaz, the former Penn State defensive coordinator and current Duke head coach, has a lot of admirers in State College. His record in Durham over nearly two full seasons is 14-8, including a gutsy 46-45 road win over Clemson on Nov. 1, followed by a 37-34 loss to UConn the next week. A former Franklin assistant might be a tough sell for the Penn State job, but Diaz is well-liked, and there's a lot of respect for the defenses he was able to put together in his two seasons with the program. His previous tenure at Miami — which ended when the Hurricanes brought in Mario Cristobal to replace him — will absolutely be brought up. Nevertheless, those around him think he's a much better coach than when Kraft hired him at Temple in 2018 (for 18 days). Penn State's Coaching Candidates By The Numbers Name Title Age Birthplace College Record at School Career Record Record vs. Top 25 Jeff Brohm Louisville HC 54 Louisville, Ky. Louisville 26-10 92-54 12-17 Matt Campbell Iowa State HC 45 Massillon, Ohio Mount Union 70-55 105-70 17-28 Kalen DeBoer Alabama HC 50 Milbank, S.D. Sioux Falls 17-5 121-17 19-3 Manny Diaz Duke HC 51 Miami, Fla. Florida State 14-8 35-23 4-10 Eli Drinkwitz Missouri HC 42 Norman, Okla. Arkansas Tech 44-27 56-28 7-17 Mike Elko Texas A&M HC 48 South Brunswick, N.J. Penn 17-5 33-14 6-6 Pat Fitzgerald Former Northwestern HC 50 Midlothian, Ill. Northwestern 110-101 — 16-39 Marcus Freeman Notre Dame HC 39 Dayton, Ohio Ohio State 40-12 40-12 15-8 Brian Hartline Ohio State OC 38 Canton, Ohio Ohio State — — — Brent Key Georgia Tech HC 47 Birmingham, Ala. Georgia Tech 26-17 26-17 7-6 Clark Lea Vanderbilt HC 43 Nashville, Tenn. Vanderbilt 24-35 24-35 5-17 Matt Rhule Nebraska HC 50 New York, N.Y. Penn State 19-16 66-59 2-2 Marcus Freeman led Notre Dame to the College Football Playoff title game last year, including a win over Penn State in the semifinals. He's a longshot for the PSU job but has reportedly not yet rejected the Lions' overtures. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER