After just three seasons as a head coach at the Power 5 level, following a five-year stint leading the Toledo program to 35 total wins, Iowa State's Matt Campbell has been one of the hottest names on the coaching carousel the past two seasons.
His name has not only been brought up for bigger, more lucrative jobs at the college level, but his obvious ties to Ohio have made also him a popular choice for the current opening with the Cleveland Browns as well.
At his press conference yesterday, Campbell spent some time dodging the job speculation chatter he's had to deal with annually this time of year the past several seasons with pretty standard answers like the one below.
https://youtu.be/IEYZO47hsQ0?t=152
But afterwards, a few reporters gathered outside Campbell's office looking for a bit more, according to the Des Moines Register. Reporter Randy Peterson asked Campbell in no uncertain terms if he would be the head coach at Iowa State next season.
Campbell responded, "Yeah. If Jamie would have me...Yes," Campbell responded, referring to Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard.
Since going 3-9 in his first season in Ames, Campbell has compiled records of 8-5 and 7-4, which included wins over #3 Oklahoma and #4 TCU in 2017 and wins over #25 Oklahoma State and #6 West Virginia earlier this season. Of those five losses in 2017, four of them were either decided in overtime or on the final possession of the game.
Back in November of 2017, Campbell agreed to a new 6-year contract worth $22.5 million that bumped his annual salary from $2.1 million to $3.5 million and included an additional $1 million for incremental raises for his staff.
If Campbell can continue to win and compete with some of the best teams and coaches inn the country with the resources at Iowa State, programs looking to upgrade their current situation will continue to come calling, but if you take Campbell's word at face value now, it seems he has every intention of returning to lead the Cyclones in 2019.
As always, continue to stay glued to The Scoop for the latest.