Matt Campbell already is seeing some of his former Iowa State Cyclones players declaring their intent to follow him to his new program, Penn State.
Campbell, now, also is poised to bring former Cyclones players who are now in collegiate coaching into the mix as well with the Nittany Lions, FootballScoop has learned.
Sources tell FootballScoop that Sheldon Croney Jr., a former Iowa State running back who also launched the start of his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Campbell at his alma mater, is joining the Penn State Nittany Lions coaching staff.
Croney Jr. is expected to serve as assistant running backs coach for Penn State, which is continuing to both fill out its first coaching roster and playing roster as it transitions into the Campbell era.
He was hired away from Iowa State in December, with Campbell bringing an end to Penn State's months-long search to replace the fired James Franklin.
Campbell, a Massilon, Ohio, native, accepted the Penn State job following a decade atop the Iowa State program and with 15 years' experience as a head coach. He's won 107 games in that span split between five years at Toledo and 10 years, as well as 72 wins, with the Cyclones.
Croney Jr. logged five years at Iowa State, the latter four coinciding with Campbell's first four seasons in charge of the program. He was a multi-year letterwinner who arrived at Iowa State after growing up in California.
He was hired onto Matt Drinkall's inaugural Central Michigan staff a year ago, and Croney Jr. was a part of Drinkall's first-year staff that engineered a seven-win season that included a postseason bowl bid.